Bass Heroes


Book Description

Thirty of the world's greatest bass players share their influences, techniques, and opinions in interviews culled from 25 years of "Guitar Player Magazine." (Music)




The Traveling Feast


Book Description

Acclaimed author Rick Bass decided to thank all of his writing heroes in person, one meal at a time, in this "rich smorgasbord of a memoir . . . a soul-nourishing, road-burning act of tribute" (New York Times Book Review). From his bid to become Eudora Welty's lawn boy to the time George Plimpton offered to punch him in the nose, lineage has always been important to Rick Bass. Now at a turning point -- in his midfifties, with his long marriage dissolved and his grown daughters out of the house -- Bass strikes out on a journey of thanksgiving. His aim: to make a memorable meal for each of his mentors, to express his gratitude for the way they have shaped not only his writing but his life. The result, an odyssey to some of America's most iconic writers, is also a record of self-transformation as Bass seeks to recapture the fire that drove him as a young man. Along the way we join in escapades involving smuggled contraband, an exploding grill, a trail of blood through Heathrow airport, an episode of dog-watching with Amy Hempel in Central Park, and a near run-in with plague-ridden prairie dogs on the way to see Lorrie Moore, as well as heartwarming and bittersweet final meals with the late Peter Matthiessen, John Berger, and Denis Johnson. Poignant, funny, and wistful, The Traveling Feast is a guide to living well and an unforgettable adventure that nourishes and renews the spirit.




Titans of Bass


Book Description

Titans of Bass: The Tactics, Habits, and Routines from over 130 of the World's Best reveals the experiences of over 130 of the world's top bassists to help the beginning bassist learn and play their first song. Picking up an instrument for the first time can be a confusing, frustrating experience, but KJ Jenson consulted the best players to give readers an inside look and a running start at the bass guitar. Navigate the first steps of taking on the bass, such as which songs to learn, what to practice every day to enhance skills, and which musicians to emulate. From over 130 interviews of the best bassists, KJ Jenson lends the perspectives of musical heroes on how they conquered the bass. Titans of Bass includes interviews with bass wizards such as Justin Chancellor (Tool), Billy Sheehan, Ron Carter, John Patitucci, Geezer Butler (Black Sabbath), Nathan East, Snow Owl, Abraham Laboriel, Sean Lennon, Leland Sklar, George Porter Jr., Christian McBride, Jack Casady, Stuart Hamm, Verdine White, Bill Laswell, and over 125 more.




How the Fender Bass Changed the World


Book Description

Introduced in 1951, the Fender Precision Bass completely transformed the sound of popular music by the early ’60s. This is the first book to show you how and why. This richly illustrated history reveals the true colors of the Fender electric bass - as a powerful agent of change in popular music and popular culture. It tells the story of technological and artistic evolution, of basses and players--and of their profound influence on the world around them. Celebrating the instrument’s 50th anniversary, this book salutes the revolutionary impact of the bass in the hands of James Jamerson, Jack Bruce, Paul McCartney, Carol Kaye, John Entwistle, Jaco Pastorius, Sting, and other bass visionaries and virtuosos past and present.




American Basses


Book Description

Alfabetisk værk om basguitarer gennem 50 år




Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass


Book Description

“A treasure trove for any fan of the four-stringed (and occasionally more) instrument.” — Billboard "It's not surprising that sooner or later I'd dive down the proverbial rabbit hole into the world of vintage bass guitars."—Geddy Lee From Rush frontman Geddy Lee's personal collection of vintage electric bass guitars, dating from the 1950s to the 1980s, comes the definitive volume on the subject. Geddy's love of the bass has been nurtured over a lifetime spent in the limelight as one of the world's premier rock bassists. For the past seven years, he's dedicated himself to studying the history of the instrument that's been so essential to his career, collecting hundreds of basses from around the globe. Written with arts journalist Daniel Richler, gorgeously photographed in breathtaking detail by Richard Sibbald, and with insight from Geddy’s trusted bass tech and curator, John "Skully" McIntosh, Geddy Lee’s Big Beautiful Book of Bass profiles over 250 classic basses from Geddy’s extensive collection. Representing every tone in the bass palette, every nuance of the rock and roll genre as well as blues, jazz, pop, and country, this one-of-a-kind collection features so-called "beauty queens"—pristine instruments never lifted from their cases—as well as "road warriors"—well-worn, sweat-soaked basses that proudly show their age and use. Complete with personal commentary from Geddy that showcases his knowledge both as a musician and an aficionado, this luxuriously produced volume is a revelatory look at the heavy hitters in the world of bass—Fender, Gibson/Epiphone, Rickenbacker, Höfner, Ampeg—and lesser known but influential global luthiers such as Antonio Wandr Pioli, Dan Armstrong, and Tony Zemaitis. The book also features interviews with John Paul Jones (Led Zeppelin); Adam Clayton (U2); Robert Trujillo (Metallica); Jeff Tweedy (Wilco); Bill Wyman (The Rolling Stones); Les Claypool (Primus); Bob Daisley (Rainbow); Fender expert and owner of the legendary Gibson Explorer, Bass Ken Collins; veteran guitar tech for The Who, Alan Rogan; plus comments from many other great players across three decades of rock and roll. Written in Geddy's singular voice, this book reveals the stories, songs, and history behind the instruments of his inimitable collection. Complete with an index and a graphically designed timeline of the history of the bass, as well as an up-close look at Geddy's basses on Rush's final R40 Tour, his stage and recording gear from 1968 to 2017, and forewords by author and respected vintage expert, Terry Foster, and Rush band member, Alex Lifeson, Geddy Lee's Big Beautiful Book of Bass is the ultimate compendium for the consummate collector, musician, Rush fan, and anyone who loves the bass guitar.




The Bass Handbook


Book Description

(Book). This indispensable handbook helps players of all levels produce better, more creative, and more varied bass lines. Divided into two sections Playing Your Bass and Knowing Your Bass it covers everything from tuning, reading music, scales and chords, and advanced techniques to tips on buying and upgrading a budget bass and troubleshooting. Along with a list of suggested listening and a reference guide, this book provides an unrivaled digest of bass information that might otherwise take an entire career to amass.




Folk Heroes and Heroines around the World


Book Description

This comprehensive collection of folk hero tales builds on the success of the first edition by providing readers with expanded contextual information on story characters from the Americas to Zanzibar. Despite the tremendous differences between cultures and ethnicities across the world, all of them have folk heroes and heroines—real and imagined—that have been represented in tales, legends, songs, and verse. These stories persist through time and space, over generations, even through migrations to new countries and languages. This encyclopedia is a one-stop source for broad coverage of the world's folk hero tales. Geared toward high school and early college readers, the book opens with an overview of folk heroes and heroines that provides invaluable context and then presents a chronology. The book is divided into two main sections: the first provides entries on the major types and themes; the second addresses specific folk tale characters organized by continent with folk hero entries organized alphabetically. Each entry provides cross references as well as a list of further readings. Continent sections include a bibliography for additional research. The book concludes with an alphabetical list of heroes and an index of hero types.




The Bass Book


Book Description

The Bass Book offers a complete illustrated history of bass guitars from Fender's first in the 1950s through the models of the next 40 years that formed the foundation for modern music. The bass guitar is undoubtedly one of the most significant instruments of this century, yet this book is the first to study its history. Features original interviews with bass makers past and present, dozens of unusual, specially commissioned color photos, and a reference section that provides a wealth of information on every major manufacturer.




The Jazz Bass Book


Book Description

(Book). More than a player's manual, this book portrays jazz bass as a vital element of 20th century American music. Citing examples from key recordings in the jazz canon, the book defines the essence of the musical contributions made by more than 70 important jazz bassists, including Ray Brown, Eddie Gomez, Charles Mingus, Milt Hinton and many others. Bassists get expert guidance on mastering proper technique, practice methods and improvisation, plus new insight into the theoretical and conceptual aspects of jazz. The companion audio featuring bass plus rhythm section allows readers to hear technical examples from the book, presented in slow and fast versions. It also offers play-along tracks of typical chord progressions and song forms.