Plektrum Bass: Bass Book & MP3 CD

This method treats pick technique as the serious skill it deserves, not an afterthought to fingerstyle. Herder builds nine chapters of progressively sophisticated material, from basic downstrokes through left-hand muting and frethand ornaments, then anchors everything in stylistically varied grooves so students understand when and why to use each approach. The included play-along tracks (both demo and backing versions) let students hear professional execution immediately and practice in real time.

The book reads like a conversation with someone who actually plays the bass and understands the practical questions beginners ask. You move quickly from concept to application, always hearing how each technique sounds in a musical groove rather than isolating it into sterile technical exercises.

Electric bassists who want to develop serious pick technique and understand how to deploy it across different musical styles. This works equally well for students approaching plectrum playing for the first time and experienced fingerstyle players looking to expand their toolkit.

• Record yourself playing the grooves without the backing track, then layer your recording under the play-along version to hear how your timing and tone sit in context.
• When working through the left-hand muting chapter, slow the tracks down significantly at first; clean muting requires precision timing that speed obscures.
• Spend time imitating the demo tracks note-for-note before attempting the play-along versions. Ear training and muscle memory reinforce each other here.
• Use the stylistically different groove examples as models for applying the same technical concept across genres; this transfers the skill rather than locking it into one sound.

Assign this as the core text for students taking pick technique as an elective module, or work through it alongside your standard curriculum when students need targeted development in this area. The chapter structure allows you to assign weeks worth of material in one sitting, and the play-along tracks give students structured practice between lessons.

• Downstroke and upstroke coordination and efficiency
• Left-hand muting (dampening) for articulation control
• Palm muting for tonal variation across the fretboard
• Integration of frethand techniques (hammer-on, pull-off, slides, dead notes) with pick technique
• Groove application across multiple musical styles
• Plectrum selection based on tone, feel, and playing context