Which bass textbook is the best for me?

 

Certainly the one you work through.

I talked a lot about the topic with colleagues and students, between doors in the music school, at the beer garden table and on the tour bus. I almost always got the same feedback:

We have more or less many bass guitar books. Bought them, read some of it, played the patterns, placed them with the other bass books and then moved them into the new apartment because somehow we don't want to give them away.

Well, okay, one double bass colleague collected schools and etude collections and worked everyone of them through completely until he had black marks from the imprint of the strings on his left hand.

For all other bassist natures, however, it obviously applies that the strictly didactic structure simply doesn't really correspond to our intuitive and creative nature.

 

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For which level is “Soul Essentials” suitable?

 

The structure of "Soul Essentials" differs from most bass books because of its intuitive approach.

No breakdown by difficulty, no explanation, but a large number of patterns in all keys. Just open it and see which patterns seem feasible today. Therefore my bass book is suitable for beginners as well as for professionals who want to train their sight reading. For those who are at the very beginning and may still need explanations about the notation, I recommend the booklet as accompanying material for professionally good bass lessons.

I myself work with “Soul Essentials” in class and the response has been remarkably positive.

As a former student commented: "It's like sushi, one bite at a time and you won't get full!"

 

 

Are TABs included?

 

Even after 20 years of teaching, I am always looking forward to the aha moment when I play a pattern according to notes with a student who has previously only practiced with tablature and backing track and suddenly it sounds really good "in time".

The pure play according to TABs with playalongs gives the impression of making rapid progress, but the fundamentals are left behind and at some point you won't get any further from there.

TABs are a useful addition where you need to understand a fingering. But for the publisher, long texts, images and TABs also offer

a secret advantage: the book is suddenly twice as thick, i.e. twice as expensive.

“Soul Essentials” offers a QR code with TABs in the booklet, which I have adapted to optimal fingerings, and which can be called up online if required. Only where I think it really makes sense do I integrate the tablature into the music text.

 

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Easy to order and fast shipping here in the shop

 

I made a conscious decision to use a distribution channel without an external publisher. So I can completely design my teaching material from the idea to shipping, including high-quality printing and the best paper quality. Simply because I don't like playing from badly copied pdf myself. Nevertheless, in this way I can offer my schools at a fair price without the feeling of giving away my knowledge.

I think what's good for fair trade coffee can't be completely wrong for bass schools.