No-Brainer: Play Bass: Bass Guitar Book & DVD

Confident and unpretentious. The writing cuts through the mystique of bass playing and gives you straight information delivered with humor. You feel like someone experienced is sitting with you, answering the questions you actually have about how to hold the instrument, how to sound like the players you admire, and how to survive in a working band.

Bassists who want a comprehensive foundation that goes beyond finger exercises. Whether you're picking up bass for the first time or consolidating scattered knowledge from years of playing, this book treats learning as a practical skill tied to real musical life rather than an isolated technical pursuit.

• Watch the DVD demonstrations before attempting new techniques. Seeing proper hand position and finger movement clarifies what the printed page cannot show alone.
• Use the audio tracks to lock into the groove of each lick rather than playing mechanically. Listen first, then match the feel and articulation you hear.
• Study the style-specific licks from legendary bassists not as isolated exercises but as vocabulary you can apply to songs you're learning with your own band.
• Work through the Basic Chord Dictionary alongside any original bass lines you're composing. Understanding harmony informs stronger note choices.

Assign sections progressively to beginning bassists as a primary resource for fundamentals and style vocabulary. The business and band dynamics chapters work well as discussion material for ensemble or private students preparing for their first gigging experience. The audio makes it self-sufficient for guided practice outside lessons.

• Proper bass guitar posture and hand position
• Reading bass notation and tablature
• Playing major and minor scales across the fretboard
• Understanding chord construction and bass note choices
• Replicating signature techniques from established bassists
• Playing rhythmically solid lines in ensemble settings
• Foundational knowledge of music business practices and performance contracts