Bass Fretboard Basics: Essential Concepts Series by Paul Farnen | Bass Guitar Guide for Scales, Intervals, Triads, Modal Patterns, Arpeggios, Turnarounds, Walking Bass Lines, and Position Playing

I played the bass for a couple years in my late teens, but it is now been over 40 years since I've played. I found very quickly that I had forgotten most of what I had learned about the base so I look for products that would allow an older adult like myself to learn and enjoy the instrument. This book provides exactly what the title describes. You can learn essential scales, which are absolutely necessary for any instrument to play, and the theory of the base. In addition, you will find yourself playing very recognizable baselines within the first few uses of the book. Of course, if you are like some skip the important scales and go to the baselines you'll enjoy the book but certainly will not get the full benefit. As with most books of this type, it comes in a paperback form using relatively thick stock for cover in a decent paper inside. I have not found the problem with incomplete over from one page to its backside and vice versa. Likewise, the position of material on the page is reasonably well placed and easy for someone to read. I use a small clip to hold the pages open while I position the book on my music stand and find that I have little problem in accessing material, reading it, and using it with my bass guitar. I would recommend this product for any relatively new user, regardless of age, and think you will find the overall quality of the material as well as the book to be perfect for the price point it is being sold. It was suggested by Coywolf that move my extra information (posted originally with my response to inspector) into this original post. So, I would like to take a few moments to add some additional comments about this book. It's now been more than a month since I purchased and began using the book. What I found is that in my earlier work I concentrated on a single finger methods, relying primarily on simple patterns. The way the instrument is played in modern music has changed dramatically since that time, and these new changes are helped to re-energize my interest in playing. One of the areas of the book that has been especially valuable is the chapter(s) on chords and the patterns associated with them. It was well worth my time to spend some extra days in reading, reading again, and then practicing these exercises. I found that my old style was immediately improved once I began to understand the two finger and two-octave playing. I'm sure the majority of people that buy this book are nowhere close to my age, and they may not be as familiar with great players like Jaco Pastorius, Stanley Clark or Paul Chambers. These guys are great jazz artists, and I soon found a lot of the methods they used were also being used in rock and blues playing. Better yet, the prominent chordal players of the 60s and 70s easily set the pace for the rock players of the 80s and 90s. With this book, you can immediately start to see those same patterns and methods at work in the author's presentation. Now as I listen to the years of great music the chapter on chord and extended octave playing makes more sense. In my case, sitting down with some of those favorite artists and listening carefully to their style helped me to both understand and apply the material in the book. This book helped me to understand the styles, which in turn helped me to appreciate the artist, and that has actually helped me in developing as a new player. The second item that has helped me a lot is learning better how to harmonize in both major and minor scales. The book is written well enough that you get a pretty good idea of how the theory is supposed to work. Again, much like with the chords, the book helped me to listen to some of my favorite artists and to even expand into a few new artist. As I used the book in my practicing I could also bring into my home studio some of the work of this new artist to see how their styles were influenced by the players of the past. The author has captured some of that basic material and passed it along to the reader. As most players know, and new players will learn, the great artist of any generation are those that go well beyond the foundations of their instrument and apply the theory in such a way that it becomes recognizable as "their" work instead of an interpretation of a common theory. That's why it was so important to hear and learn the methods contained in this book. I could now use it in developing my own style, and even in just a month, I've noticed a big change in the way I hold and address the instrument. It is much more than merely learning the simple scales. As the author suggests, if you want to stand out from other players then you need to understand the theory as well as how you can adapt to your personal style. That -- and lots of raw talent -- will help you to become a master at the instrument. I haven't said much in a negative about this book simply because I've liked it from the beginning. If I were to add a negative comment it would be that the book is simply too short. There are a couple areas, such as the material on position playing, that I would have liked to seek covered in more detail. The book covers a lot of material but in some instances, it seemed like it was really more of an introduction with little depth. I'm sure the publisher would tell us that adding half again as many pages would raise the price too much but I think it might be worth it, especially if it gave us a little better detail and understanding of the theory. Thanks to "my​ inspector" for catching my error but giving me another opportunity to add to my review of the book. I hope both the original and this new material will help you make a decision.

This book is like the bible in learning scales and chords on Bass. Very informative but might be a little heavy on beginners. Not a lot of depth in some areas that you could have questions on. Nonetheless, a great book to have and reference to.

I studied with the author, Paul Farnen, at Musician's Institute in 1981-82. This book captures the essence of his approach to teaching bass in a clear and concise manner, starting with the basics (note names & locations), tuning, scale harmonizations, through analyzing key centers and scale/chordal patterns over specific chord progressions that utilize the entire range of the instrument. One particularly helpful point is the fingering options. Some technique books recommend a set fingering pattern; the author shows several fingering variations for the same pattern. That's especially useful since there's often more than one way to play the same thing. The exercises are easily adapted to real-world playing situations. It's also a great reference for teachers who have a depth of knowledge of harmony & theory. The section on developing walking bass lines is relatively basic (no pun intended) but will start the student on the path with excellent pointers. For a more in-depth and specific study of how to develop walking bass lines I would highly recommend Bob Magnusson's "The Art Of Walking Bass", also by Musician's Institute Press. The Art of Walking Bass: A Method for Acoustic or Electric Bass

It's from Musician's Institute...it's informative, simple and lots of pictures. Perfect for a bass player...

This is quite simply one of the easiest books to follow. Paul Farnen gets you on your way with easy to follow diagrams to better understand the theory of the bass guitar. He has made my learning experience more pleasurable and given me the confidence and knowledge to become a better bassist. I have plenty of books pertaining to bass theory but this book by far is the most comprehensive. My advice, buy this book you won't be sorry.

This bass book has allowed me to grow as a bass player, it teaches you tons of music theory that anybody can use to grow as a bass player. A must read.

Oh I am so happy I bought this book. This is particularly helpful as a near beginner bassist. There was a lot of unanswered questions in my case concerning the language of music. The scales and chords with strange names that were so foreign to me. No other book has given me better understanding than this one, and trust me I have ordered several books on learning the bass. kudos Paul Farnell. Excellent work.

A little difficult for the beginner to understand

This book is exactly what I was looking for. Trying out bass after playing classical and steel string acoustic guitars for years. It provides both the music notation and tablature.

Covers the basics

All the basics are there. If you are just starting, the book will help connect the written music with your bass neck.

Order was timely and exactly as described. Good seller.