Reading... converting to bass

[thepurpleblob]

Executive summary... I want to learn to sight read the bass. Where do I start?

Longer version... I started out as a percussionist in orchestras, brass bands and out bands forty years ago (yes, I'm old but I did start young!). Although technically nothing special, I could sight read that stuff (many percussion instruments) so I got the gigs. So, anyway, I'm pretty reasonable at the basics; I know that stuff.

I've been playing bass 'by ear' for about 15 years and I've been playing in pub covers bands. I'm totally sick of it on many levels. So, my plan is to put the hours in to learn to read on the bass and see where it takes me. Even if it doesn't take me anywhere directly, I'm sure it'll improve my all-round playing considerably.

I'm looking for suggestions for good starting points and materials to use. I'm aware of the Major's stuff (and I've worked through a few basic ones) on here but I'd be interested in any opinions/thoughts.

[philparker]

There are numerous excellent resources so I hope there will be some further suggestions to this thread.

If you use a tablet I would highly recommend Stuart Clayton's series of Reading Music on iBooks. Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

Whatever you use, you need to practise daily and use additional material to practise as well. I have shelves of various music and sometimes I will pick a simple score and sight read to a metronome and then try and pick harder pieces to reach my limit, which I often do!

[Grangur]

If you like what you find, you're welcome to use the contents of this thread.

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/215336-learning-to-read-the-dots-sheet-music-to-learn-with/page__fromsearch__1

[Huge Hands]

I could have written that OP myself about 4 years ago.

In my area, there are a lot of concert bands which are like brass bands but have woodwind as well as brass. They often have "String Bass" parts (or Electric Bass for the more modern stuff).

I joined mine as a trombone player (mainly to meet new people in my area) but then learned to my dismay that they played in concert pitch (bass clef) not Bb (treble clef) as I had learned in my brass band days. It was just by accident that first night as I was thinking I wouldn't be able to do it that I heard the conductor moaning at the chairman that she hadn't found him an electric bass player. I stuck my hand up and the rest is history. i couldn't read bass clef (not without counting the stave lines) at that point.

I still get lost occasionally and still struggle to transpose the tuba parts up an octave quickly in fiddly runs, but it is getting better. Ideally, the string bass parts call for arco (bow) playing on the more classical stuff, but I seem to get away without being able to do it. It is on my list to learn though. I do have a DB, but with this band I tend to use my guitar and make it as tuba sounding as I can, as that is what they are used to. The band have been very patient with me (mainly because their tuba player left and I'm the only option for bass) but I have found it the best way to learn (on the fly). There have been a few embarrassing bum notes along the way, but in a band of around 40 players of varying skill levels, I wasn't the first, and I won't be the last!

I wouldn't suggest someone does it with no theory experience at all, but you said you have experience of brass band (I presume treble clef) and percussion reading, so you should already know the basics in terms of notation.

I have also been asked to do loads of other stuff off the back of it - dep for other bands, pantomimes, concerts etc and my sight reading is miles ahead of what it was. It might not be the most hip or up to date music you'll ever play (usually depends on the MD), but they are a great place to learn and meet new people. Ours even resurrected it's sideline "Dance Band" last month, so we did our first Glenn Miller style gig last weekend!

Hope this helps!

[Steve Woodcock]

The good news is that there is [i]plenty [/i]of free reading material on the internet - I've amassed a library of many hundreds over the years. As for starting points, these are things you should have a confident grip of first:[list]
[*][b]Fingerboard knowledge [/b]- know the name and location of all the notes on your neck.
[*][b]Written pitches[/b] - know the names of the notes on the staves, and the ledger lines above and below; don't limit yourself just to bass clef, learn the treble clef too as melodies and solos are often written in this clef to avoid the need ledger lines. Know the length value of all note and rest types. Learn to recognise the intervals - muscle memory will help you play a major 3rd much quicker than thinking 'E to G#' for example.
[*][b]Rhythm[/b] - learn to recognise the sound of common rhythms so that you can instantly recall them rather than having to count the subdivisions in your head.
[*][b]Key signatures [/b]- know all the key signatures including their relative minors.
[/list]
In the real world you would rarely, if ever, be given a piece of music to play without having a few moments to look through it first. Use this time to check the key of the piece and the lowest and highest notes so that you can place your hand in a convenient place in the neck to avoid having to make unnecessary leaps and jumps whilst playing, make mental notes of where any tricky rhythms (particularly any unison parts or stabs/hits) occur and where you will need to change position.

Doing your own transcriptions will also help your sight reading a lot as, by writing down what you hear, you are reinforcing the connection between what is played and how it looks on the page.

Edited May 5, 2016 by Stickman

[zbd1960]

If you want a pile of music to try, have a look at cello music - it's in bass clef (optionally it goes to tenor and treble clef when high to reduce leger lines). There will be no tab to distract you.. As a bass player you will sound an [i]8ve lower than it's written. There's a ton of downloadable (classical) material on IMSLP.ORG[/i]

[Steve Woodcock]

[quote name='zbd1960' timestamp='1462448084' post='3043067']
If you want a pile of music to try, have a look at cello music[/quote]

Trombone music too!

[thepurpleblob]

Great - thanks everybody for your help. There's quite a lot to go at there

[louisthebass]

[quote name='philparker' timestamp='1462399097' post='3042826']
There are numerous excellent resources so I hope there will be some further suggestions to this thread.

If you use a tablet I would highly recommend Stuart Clayton's series of Reading Music on iBooks. Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

Whatever you use, you need to practise daily and use additional material to practise as well. I have shelves of various music and sometimes I will pick a simple score and sight read to a metronome and then try and pick harder pieces to reach my limit, which I often do!
[/quote]

+1 for the Stuart Clayton books

[thepurpleblob]

Yeh - my reading and music theory is pretty good. Well, my reading is. But I have never applied it to the bass. I'm just back from holiday so it's time to get on with it :-D

[gapiro]

Also
http://basschat.co.uk/topic/74284-the-majors-bass-boot-camp-session-index-1-36

I think sessions 20-25 ish have the "basic" beginner reading - get through them then go back to the start of the set

[fretmeister]

+1 on the Clayton books

and this one too: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Simplified-Sight-Reading-Bass-Josquin-Pres/dp/0793565189

I was in the same position a few years ago. I could play any Billy Sheehan / Johnny Rod type bass shred you could suggest. But if you asked me to sight read the bass part on a U2 tine I couldn't do it.

I joined my daughter's orchestra group and felt like a beginner again. I was completely lost.

Now I can sight read a bit and can join in far more easily on the new tunes without being the person to say "err, I'll learn it by ear for next week."