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Bass Guitars:
RandB Bass Masters: The Way They Play
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Manufacturer: Backbeat Books
List Price: $19.95
Our Price: $12.43
You Save: $ 7.52 ( 38% )
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Average Customer Ratings:
RandB Masters is a close examination of the legendary RandB bassists that shaped modern music. Explore the styles of Duck Dunn, Chuck Rainey, George Porter, James Jamerson, Jerry Jemmot, David Hood and many others through written examples and play-along tracks. Learn their stories, their working setup, and their unique approaches to the groove. The CD features examples from all of the book's lessons.
PRODUCT DESCRIPTIONS:
Binding: Paperback
Dewey Decimal Number: 787.871931643
EAN: 9780879308698
ISBN: 0879308699
Label: Backbeat Books
Manufacturer: Backbeat Books
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 80
Publication Date: 2005-11-01
Publisher: Backbeat Books
Studio: Backbeat Books
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CUSTOMER REVIEWS:
The perfect tool -
This is the perfect tool for me to check out my R&B heroes - all the good licks and the styles that can be difficult to check out by my self
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Good Book -
I've had this book for about ten days now and am very happy with it. The biographical backgrounds on the players is enjoyable to read and it's interesting to see what gear these guys were using -- this information really rounds out this book in a way that makes it stand out from other books I've used.
The recording that comes with the book is also very good. The bass is very loud and the author does a good job of nailing each bassist's tone and feel. Also, the rhythms stand up, too, which is key. What's cool is that the bass is in one speaker and the drums are in the other so, if you want, you can turn the balance on your stereo and play with the drums alone, without the bass track getting in your way.
I think some people are turned off by this book because the entire bass line for each song isn't written out. Personally, I prefer it this way. I just want to get a taste for what these particular players were doing and don't feel like learning entire songs.
A "Must Have" Book for Bassists Interested in R&B -
First, my background: I am a performer (bass trombone and electric bass) and an instructor. I am also a composer and arranger. My undergraduate degree is in Music Education (Masters in Music Composition); and the majority of my Air Force career was spent in the field of Education and Training.
I "collect" bass guitar method books, always searching for that "perfect" book for the beginning, intermediate, or advanced bassist. "The R&B Bass Masters: The Way They Play" is written by Ed Friedland who, once again demonstrates that he is truly a master at authoring bass method books that are well-organized and easy to understand, yet extremely comprehensive and informative. (I dare say that, if Ed Friedland is the author, then the book is worth purchasing without any further research required!)
Aside from the obligatory introduction, author's biography, acknowledgments and CD track list, "R&B Masters" is divided into 10 chapters, each featuring a different R&B bass legend. Each chapter contains a brief biography of the featured bassist as well as sections on his gear and setup, style and technique, and a lesson with examples from his repertoire (included on the accompanying CD). The lesson examples are explained and analyzed; and written in both standard music notation and tablature. I firmly believe that every bassist (i.e., "musician") should develop as least a rudimentary ability to read music and not rely on tablature. However, this is the precise circumstance where tablature is an invaluable tool to gaining insight as to "how" the R&B master played a particular bass line. What makes this book so great is that the drum part is also included with the music notation and tablature.
In addition (and this is the "icing on the cake"), each chapter includes a selected discography (with recommended "cuts") and a detailed "checklist" which covers each bassist's equipment (type of bass, fingerboard, condition [stock or custom], setup, strings, pickups, and amp), as well as the bassist's tone, attack, signature traits, influences and overall approach.
As an example of how this all fits together, the chapter on Ronnie Baker (one of Philadelphia's top session bassists in the late '60s-mid '70s) states that he used an Ampeg B-15 amp (as a monitor in the studio; but a direct box fed his sound to the mixing board) and a stock, pre-CBS Fender Precision bass with stock Fender Precision split-coil pickups, a rosewood fingerboard, and heavy-gauge flatwound strings (that had "possibly" been marinated in butter!). It goes on to state that his tone was dark with a very dead sound (strings muted at the bridge with masking tape or paper towels) with a very punchy, yet rounded sound. He kept solid time, and his bass lines were unassuming with occasional bursts of flair. He was influenced by Duck Dunn and James Jamerson, and his overall approach to playing the bass was with melodic, laid-back grooves with a behind-the-beat feel. Further insight into Baker's style and technique is provided by comments from his session-soulmate, drummer Earl Young, who states that Baker made sure he knew what was going on by watching the drummer and his kick-drum pedal. "Baker would watch my feet, explained Young. "He sat on my left side and he'd copy whatever my foot was doing."
All in all, a "must have" book for anyone interested in a bassist's perspective of R&B: both its history and bass playing style.
Disappointing -
This book could have been useful. Unfortunately Mr. Friedland has spent more time with biographies of the various bassplayers and much less time on actual music. If I had wanted a biography I would have looked for that. Instead I wasted money on this.
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A Bass Player Library Essential. -
The musical reviews and bios are nice, but music scores are only samples. I think I would have given this publication a 4 star or 5 stars if the bass lines were full, complete music scores (to experience the style indept). Anyway, nice to have your music library.
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