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Sight-reading Books


Root-Note
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Hi,

I wanted to learn sight-reading, and at the moment I'm using Youtube videos, but I'd like to get some books as well. I know my theory, but I just need something to play to, preferably the kind that cover both easy and hard exercises/ pieces in one book; If there are any that specialise in jazz that would also be handy.

Thanks for reading this,
Mike

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Probably the best 'learn to read in easy steps' books are the Simandl book and Rufus Reid's Evolving Bassist. Other than that you could do far worse than trawling throught this thread:

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/215336-learning-to-read-the-dots-sheet-music-to-learn-with/

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I found that the best approach when I learned to read was to tackle rhythm and pitch separately before putting the pieces together with 'real' music.

There are a couple of well known rhythm reading books available, my preference is for [url="https://tomkenrick.wordpress.com/2014/11/17/unorthodox-instructionals-part-3-getting-even-with-drummers/"]Louis Bellson's Modern Reading in 4/4 time[/url]

As far as pitch goes, I'd add a +1 to Bilbo's suggestion of [url="https://tomkenrick.wordpress.com/2014/09/18/unorthodox-instructionals-part-2-franz-simandls-new-method-for-the-double-bass/"]Simandl[/url] as it provides a progressive approach to reading within a key that starts in the lower areas of the fretboard and builds to include the entire length of the neck.

Gary Willis has a [url="http://www.garywillis.com/pages/lessons/read.html"]great pitch reading exercise on his site[/url] which I found really useful in teaching myself to always look ahead when reading.

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I have no idea about sight reading books, but i bought beginners reading music, and scales and arpeggis from Bassline Publishing. Very easy to follow, and well written. If there is a sight reading book, and it is as good, then maybe worth a try

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The Motown book is pretty good.

Jazz walking bass line transcriptions are good too, most pop or rock lines are often quite diatonic, walking bass lines often throw in non diatonic/chromatic passing notes that can trip you up.

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I'm learning to read at the moment. I've got a decent book "simplified sight reading for bass" from the Amazon. It is laid out really well. But also, just get anything and try it out. I'm not a fan of tab/numbers therefore I'm learning to read. So I've got full scores from various musicals, Bach's two part inventions are killer. Like many things the only way to get good is to persevere and keep going.

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I have ' walking jazz lines for bass' by Jay Hungerford. It as 20 jazz standards, a cd of backing music/ sample bass lines and quite a few exercises in it. It's helping my reading a lot. Also have 'simplified sight reading for bass' which I also find good.

Cheers

Pete

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  • 3 weeks later...

get your hands on a bass clef Real Book, or any fake book that has melodies written in bass clef. You mention that your theory knowledge is there. Fantastic! Take a melody, and analyze it vertically speaking. Take a tune like Duke Ellingtons Take The A Train. View the melody as a chord, as polyphony. You can do this with any melody from any song, any genre. It will help you to codify where all the individual notes are coming from. From there, you learn to take each letter name, and spell chord changes. So you are studying harmony. A phrase turns into a chord. Now you have a sense of where the composer was coming from theoretically speaking. Back to Duke; the first line is a I maj chord using the 5th to the 10th then to the root, ostensibly a 2nd inversion major triad. was Duke thinking this? Not sure..However, you now can place your fingers on the fretboard and realize where the melody is structured, aka coming from. It will serve your ears well too!
And while you're studying all this theory, don't forget to groove!

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[quote name='Stuart Clayton' timestamp='1426524822' post='2718837']
Without wanting to self-promote too much, I wrote a series of books on reading music which have been very popular. You can check them out here: [url="https://www.basslinepublishing.com/bass-essentials.html"]https://www.bassline...essentials.html[/url]

Stuart
[/quote]

I've got these and I'm finding them very useful.

I've also got "Simplified Sight Reading for Bass"

and the excellent Sight Reading Machine app on my iPad - it generates new things with each page turn and then plays them back to you. You can set the instrument, time and key signatures, tempo - you can even set limits on the range of notes. So if you want to start just within the stave and not worry about ledger lines you can.

And I'm also using a couple of early Double Bass books (ignoring the bow of course!) such as http://www.amazon.co.uk/Abracadabra-Double-Bass-Andrew-Marshall/dp/0713670975/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1428575226&sr=8-1&keywords=Abracadabra+bass

That is really BEFORE Grade 1 level so it's a great start.

But the biggest hint I can give is - do a little bit every day. It's far better than 30 mins or an hour only once per week.

Structure it almost like a lesson and homework. So pick one or 2 short and simple tunes and then practice them for 10 mins per day for a week. (Most beginner tunes are only 2 or 3 staves). In a week you should be able to master them. Then a week later decide on 2 new ones and then practice them for a week.

This approach copies my kids' music lessons and I'm following it too and it's doing wonders for my sight reading.

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[quote name='Stuart Clayton' timestamp='1426524822' post='2718837']
Without wanting to self-promote too much, I wrote a series of books on reading music which have been very popular. You can check them out here: [url="https://www.basslinepublishing.com/bass-essentials.html"]https://www.bassline...essentials.html[/url]

Stuart
[/quote]

I don't know your level of reading, If you're just getting into reading I would also suggest Stuart Clayton's books.

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Well sight reading needs two important things: a real progressive learning book and perseverance.
I use with my students, two books, both great and for different goals.
The first is Modern Reading Text in 4/4 by Louis Bellson for rhythm reading.
The second is Sight Reading For the Bass by Ron Velosky for sight reading.
If you use both of them together, week after week without skip pages, then I can guarantee you that in 2 months you will be able to go on music charts.
If you need any help just let me know.
Cheers

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[quote name='Stuart Clayton' timestamp='1426524822' post='2718837']
Without wanting to self-promote too much, I wrote a series of books on reading music which have been very popular. You can check them out here: https://www.basslinepublishing.com/bass-essentials.html

Stuart
[/quote]

+ 3

I sight read anyway in both bass & treble clef, but it's something you have to maintain and you need a variety of music covering lots of rhythms and keys. It's also worth having a collection of music that you don't play very often to practice to, but if I was to recommend a good progressive series covering everything you need it is Stuart Claytons series, which I have on my iPad and refer to regularly.

I would add that reading music is one thing, but sight reading at tempo with other musicians is a skill that need to be worked at and maintained.

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Absolutely. I am a staunch ad ocate for reading music but there is definitely a difference in reading slowly as a learning thing and learning to sight read cold. The former is a must, in my view, the latter an ideal that is achieved over years and need to be maintained like any form of skill.

I read once of a literate woman who went blind and recovered her sight twenty years later. UPon being able to see again, she had to learn to read from scratch because she had 'forgotten' how to do it.

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  • 4 weeks later...

[quote name='Stuart Clayton' timestamp='1426524822' post='2718837']
Without wanting to self-promote too much, I wrote a series of books on reading music which have been very popular. You can check them out here: https://www.basslinepublishing.com/bass-essentials.html

Stuart
[/quote]

These are great. I have the Beginner and Intermediate ones and I try to do a few exercises from each every day. I am getting better all the time. I am a LONG way off the Advanced book, years maybe!

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If you want some 'raw material' to practice on, rather than an instructional book, this is great value for money:-

[color=#111111][font=Arial, sans-serif][size=3]http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1495346781[/size][/font][/color]

[color=#111111][font=Arial, sans-serif][size=3]I also like working through the Charlie Parker Omnibook for bass clef, which is also pretty cheap.[/size][/font][/color]

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