BAILEY STEVE, ROCK BASS. The Ultimate Rock Bass Workout. CD TABLATURE
Steve Bailey’s Rock Bass offers one of the most comprehensive bass technique methods available. Infamous bassist Steve Bailey is a pioneer in his field, known for his expertise with the six-string fretless bass, an instrument he’s been playing since childhood. Rock Bass offers exercises which have both studio and live-playing applications, and covers an array of topics from hand dexterity to bass line construction, from double stops to chords. The book will help any bassist develop the necessary technique to produce quality records, as well as the technical dexterity to rock out any show. Other topics include developing right-hand alternation, advanced eighth-note patterns, -Finger Buster and -Hazard, exercises, developing solid time, and playing odd-note groupings. Plus, the included CD features examples of songs and exercises from the book. Get Rock Bass today and impress everyone with your rockin’ skills in no time.
Introduction
Possibly, at this moment, in a dark recording studio somewhere in Los Angeles, sits an engineer, a
producer, and a bass player. They are putting the finishing touches to the bass line of what might be
the next platinum single from a major rock and roll band. The throbbing pulse of an eighth-note bass
groove pushes the chorus into overdrive as the guitar screams over the lead and background vocals.
Thirty seconds later the producer pushes the stop button on the remote control box, the red lights go
off and the tape grinds to a halt. "We'll be faded out by this point-incredible job-you did it again!
Let's go celebrate:' What's wrong with this picture?
The bassist with the producer is not the bassist whose name and picture appears on the CD jacket.
He's not the bassist who spent countless hours rehearsing and recording the basic tracks for this
record. The bassist who "saved this song" is not the one who will be hurt, humiliated, and quite
unhappy to find out the producer brought in somebody else to ghost his tracks. Sounds like a drag,
doesn't it? The producer is not the "bad guy:' His ultimate responsibility is to "produce" a great
record and present it to the record company. He can't do that if one of the main ingredients (the
bass line) has fret buzz, noise, bad timing, bad tone, or any combination of the above!
Having been the "hired gun" brought in by the producer more times than I care to remember, I
decided to put on paper the techniques and concepts that could eventually put me out of the
"hired gun" business. Ifthe principles in these pages are adhered to and practiced, the odds are
much greater that you-the bassist in the band-will emerge from the studio (as well as the stage)
confident that your artistry will be heard by millions.
The basic concepts for this book were initially conceived as curriculum for Rock Bass class at the
Bass Institute of Technology in Hollywood, California.
About the Book
1. Most units are arranged with the "meat" of the lesson first, including numerous exercises.
This material is followed by "Technique Builders," a series of exercises designed to build
skillful technique. Next comes the "Lick of the Week," an etude of high technical demand,
the essence of which is derived from the previous lesson material.
2. All exercises should be practiced with a metronome or a solid drum machine pattern.
3. The Technique Builders should be reviewed frequently, and tempos should be increased
when all transitions are smooth and consistent. (Keep a log of your progress and set weekly goals.)
4. As you will notice, there is an emphasis on getting the most out of each practice session.
Condition your brain and hands to work together. For example, try to be aware of your
left-hand fingering, right-hand alternation and consistency, and your time feel. To combine
all three is a major accomplishment, but with practice and concentration, you will get more
out of a one-hour practice session than you ever imagined.
5. If you don't read music notation, start relating the TAB notes to what is written above.
Reading music will only open more doors for you.
RIGHT HAND ALTERNATION PICKING
EIGHTH-NOTE STUDIES
ADVANCED EIGHTH-NOTE PATTERS
TECHNIQUE
BASS LINES UTILIZING 4ths AND 5ths
FINGER BUSTERS
10ths IN ROCK, FOR 4-STRING BASS
IN THE STUDIO
SOLID-TIME STUDIES
MORE HAZARD EXERCISES
ODD GROUPINGS
Italiano
English
