Bass Guitar For Dummies

Title Page
Copyright Page
Table of Contents
Foreword
Introduction
	About This Book
	Foolish Assumptions
	Icons Used in This Book
	Beyond the Book
	Where to Go from Here
Part 1 Getting Started with the Bass Guitar
	Chapter 1 The Very Basics of Bass
		Discovering the Differences between the Bass and Its High-Strung Cousins
		Understanding the Bass Player’s Function in a Band
			Forging the link between harmony and rhythm
			Moving the song along
			Keeping time
			Establishing rhythms
			Looking cool
		Dissecting the Anatomy of a Bass Guitar
			The neck
			The body
			The innards
		On a Need-to-Know “Basses”: Gearing Up to Play Bass
			Coordinating your right and left hands
			Mastering major and minor chord structures
			Tuning your bass
			Combining scales and chords
		Playing Grooves, Solos, and Fills
			Creating grooves and riffs
			Treating yourself and your audience to solos and fills
		Experimenting with Different Musical Genres
		Stocking Up on Some Bass Gear
			Buying a bass
			Getting an amplifier
			Accessorizing your bass
		Giving Your Bass Some Good Ol’ TLC
	Chapter 2 Gaining the Tools and Skills to Play
		Getting a Handle on Your Bass
		Holding Your Bass
			Strapping on your bass: Strings to the outside
			Voilà! Standing with your bass
			Sitting with your bass
		Placing Your Hands in the Proper Position
			Positioning your left hand
			Positioning your right hand
		Reading a Fingerboard Diagram
			The language of music: Scales and chords
			Viewing a diagram of the major and minor scales
			Playing open-string scales
			Finding the notes on the neck
			Identifying intervals: They’re always in the same place
		Tuning Your Bass Guitar
			Reference pitch sources to use when playing alone
			Reference pitch sources to use when playing with others
			Tuning the bass guitar to itself
		Playing a Song on Your Bass Guitar
			Making some noise with the open strings
			Closing the strings
	Chapter 3 Warming Up: Getting Your Hands in Shape to Play
		Understanding the Sound Your Bass Makes
		Performing Right-Hand Warm-Ups
			Right-hand same-string strokes
			Controlling the strength in your striking hand: Right-hand accents
			Skating across the strings: Right-hand string crossing
		Coordinating Your Left Hand with Your Right Hand
			Doing finger permutations
			Muting the strings to avoid the infamous hum
			Putting it all together
Part 2 The Bass-ics of Playing
	Chapter 4 Reading, ’Riting, and Rhythm
		Reading Notation: No Pain, Much Gain
			Chord notation: The chord chart
			Music notation: Indicating rhythm and notes
			Tablature notation: Showing strings, frets, and sequence
			The vocal chart: Using lyrics and chords for a singer or songwriter
		Finding Any Note in Any Octave
		Using the Metronome: You Know, That Tick-Tock Thing
			Setting the metronome
			Playing along
		Dividing Music into Phrases, Measures, and Beats
			The quarter note
			The eighth note
			The sixteenth note
			The half note
			The whole note
			The triplet
			The dot
			The tie
			The rest
		Discovering How to Read Music
			Rhythmic chunks
			Interval chunks
			What comes up must come down
		Playing Your First Song While Reading Music
	Chapter 5 Understanding Major and Minor Structures
		Building Major and Minor Scales
			Major scales
			Minor scales
		Building Chords: One Note at a Time, Please
			Triads: The three most important notes of a chord
			7th chords: Filling out the triad
			Getting your kicks with boogie licks
		Inversions: Down Is Up, and Up Is Down
			Major chord inversions
			Minor chord inversions
		Spicing Up Your Sound: The Seven Main Modes (Scales)
		Using Chromatic Tones: All the Other Notes
			Chromatic tones within the box
			Chromatic tones outside the box
		Bringing a Groove to Life with Dead Notes (Weird but True)
			Playing dead — notes, that is
			Raking dead notes
		Sampling Accompaniments
			Using your accompaniments in a tune
			Keeping your groove gloriously ambiguous
Part 3 Making the Moves, Creating the Grooves
	Chapter 6 Creating the Groove
		Anatomy of a Groove: Putting Together the Necessary Elements
			Getting your groove skeleton out of the closet
			Playing a song using only the groove skeleton
			Choosing the right notes for a groove
		Creating Your Own Groove
			Covering the “basses”: Creating dominant, minor, and major grooves
			Waggin’ the groove tail
			Movin’ and groovin’ from chord to chord
			Finding the perfect fit: The designer groove
		Grooving with a Drummer
			The bass drum
			The snare drum
			The hi-hat
		Jammin’ with Other Musicians
			Preparing your ear
			Listening for “the note”
			Pivoting the note
		Getting Creative with Existing Grooves
			Altering a (famous) groove
			Simplifying a groove
	Chapter 7 Going Solo: Playing Solos and Fills
		Soloing: Your Moment to Shine
			Playing with the blues scale: A favorite solo spice
			Jamming with the minor pentatonic scale: No wrong notes
			Using the major pentatonic scale: Smooth as can be
			Moving from chord to chord
		Creating Fills without Any Help from Your Dentist
			A match made in heaven: Connecting your fill to the groove
			Timing a fill
Part 4 Using the Correct Accompaniment for Each Genre
	Chapter 8 Rock On! Getting Down with the Rock Styles
		Rock ’n’ Roll: It’s The Attitude!
		Hard Rock: Going at It Fast and Furious
		Pop Rock: Supporting the Vocals
		Blues Rock: Doin’ What “Duck” Does and Playing a Countermelody
		Country Rock: Where Vocals Are King, and You Take a Back Seat
		One Rock Fits All: Applying a Standard Rock Groove to Any Rock Song
	Chapter 9 Swing It! Playing Styles That Rely on the Triplet Feel
		Swing: Grooving Up-Tempo with Attitude
		Jazz: Going for a Walk
			Working the walk
			Applying a jazz blues walking pattern
		Blues Shuffle: Walking Like Donald Duck (Dunn, That Is)
		Funk Shuffle: Combining Funk, Blues, and Jazz
	Chapter 10 Making It Funky: Playing Hardcore Bass Grooves
		R & B: Movin’ to Rhythm and Blues
		The Motown Sound: Grooving with the Music of the Funk Brothers
		Fusion: Blending Two Styles into One
		Funk: Light Fingers, Heavy Attitude
		Hip-Hop: Featuring Heavy Funk with Heavy Attitude
		Knowing What to Do When You Just Want to Funkifize a Tune
	Chapter 11 Sampling International Flavors: Bass Styles from Around the World
		Bossa Nova: Baskin’ in a Brazilian Beat
		Samba: Speeding Up with Bossa’s Fast Cousin
		Afro-Cuban: Ordering Up Some Salsa (Hold the Chips, Please)
		Reggae: Relaxing with Offbeat “Riddims”
		Calypso Party Sounds: Dancing through the Groove
		Combining Reggae and Rock: The Distinct Sound of Ska
		African Grooves: Experimenting with Exotic Downbeat Grooves
			Grooving on a steady beat, South African–style
			Checking out the bass groove styles from Cameroon
		Music without Borders: Grooving to the World Beat
	Chapter 12 Playing in Odd Meters: Not Strange, Just Not the Norm
		An Odd-Meter Oldie but Goodie: The Waltz
		Beyond the Waltz: Navigating Beats in Odd Meter
			5/4 meter: Not an impossible mission
			Take a groove you know and make it grow
			7/4 meter: Adding two more beats
		Complex Simplicity: Syncopation and Subdivision
			Syncopating in odd meter
			Adding an eighth
			Dealing with the rush
	Chapter 13 Groovin’ in a Genre: It’s All About Style!
		Playing Grooves in Each Genre: One Simple Song, Many Genres Strong
			Pop: Backing up the singer-songwriter
			Rocking by the quarter or eighth note
			R & B/Soul, with or without the dot
			Feeling da funk
			Layin’ down some Latin grooves
			When you’re feelin’ blue, shuffle
		To Blend or Not to Blend: Knowing How to Fit In
			Just blending in: How to do it
			The bold and the beautiful: Creating a bold groove
			Blending and bolding by genre
			Signing off with a flourish
	Chapter 14 Eight Degrees of Separation: The Beatles’ Solution
		Playing Your Rhythm Straight or Syncopated
			Pumping eighth notes
			Syncopating the bass beat
		Making Harmonic Choices
			Feeling fine (with roots and 5ths)
			Walking along Penny Lane
			Coming together to move with the groove
			Day-tripping in perfect agreement: Unison
			Playing something to counter the melody with
			Inverting while your bass gently weeps
Part 5 Buying and Caring for Your Bass
	Chapter 15 Love of a Lifetime or One-Night Stand? Buying the Right Bass
		Assessing Your Needs Before You Buy
			Thinking long-term: Moving in together
			Thinking short-term: Help me make it through the night
			How many strings are too many?
			To fret or not to fret
		Needs Are One Thing . . . Budget Is Quite Another
		A Trip to the Bass-Mint: Where to Shop for Your Bass Guitar
			Hitting the music stores
			Consulting newspaper ads
			Visiting online shops and individual online ads
		When Money Is No Object: Getting a Custom-Made Bass
	Chapter 16 Getting the Right Gear for Your Bass Guitar
		Making Yourself Heard: A Primer on Amplifiers and Speakers
			Going with a combo or separate amp and speaker
			Opting for solid state or tubes
			Picking a speaker size
			Setting the tone
		Needs, Wants, and Nonessentials: Rounding Out Your Equipment
			Must-haves: Cases, gig bags, and more
			Definite maybes: Useful effects, gadgets, and practice items
			Extras: Effects pedals
	Chapter 17 Changing the Strings on Your Bass Guitar
		Knowing When It’s Time to Say Goodbye
		Off with the Old: Removing Bass Strings
		On with the New: Restringing Your Bass
		Ensuring a Long Life for Your Strings
	Chapter 18 Keeping Your Bass in Shape: Maintenance and Light Repair
		Cleaning Your Bass, Part by Part
			The body and neck
			The hardware
			The pickups
			The fingerboard
			The strings
		Making Minor Repairs to Your Bass
			The taming of the screw(s)
			Taking care of the finish
			Leaving the electronics to the experts
		Adjusting the Bass Guitar
			Providing relief to the truss rod
			Raising and lowering the bridge
		Assembling a Cleaning and Repair Tool Bag
		Storing Your Bass
Part 6 The Part of Tens
	Chapter 19 Ten Innovative Bassists You Should Know
		Stanley Clarke
		John Entwistle
		James Jamerson
		Carol Kaye
		Will Lee
		Paul McCartney
		Marcus Miller
		Jaco Pastorius
		Victor Wooten
		X (Fill in Your Own)
	Chapter 20 Ten Great Rhythm Sections (Bassists and Drummers)
		Bootsy Collins and Jab’o Starks
		Donald “Duck” Dunn and Al Jackson Jr.
		James Jamerson and Benny Benjamin
		John Paul Jones and John Bonham
		Joe Osborn and Hal Blaine
		Jaco Pastorius and Peter Erskine
		George Porter Jr. and Zig Modeliste
		Francis Rocco Prestia and David Garibaldi
		Chuck Rainey and Bernard Purdie
		Robbie Shakespeare and Sly Dunbar
Appendix Audio Tracks and Video Clips
Index
EULA