Hal Leonard Bass Method Complete Edition Books 1,2 & 3 Bound Together in One Easy-to-Use Volume: Special Bound Plastic Comb – 1 May 1996

When I first got my bass, I self-taught from Hal Leonard (No. 1 I think..). I got quite far with it, learning to read music as well as play. I then moved, and had barely picked up the bass in years.Recently, I decided that it was time to start again, but I'd forgotten everything and couldn't find the book, so I bought this one. It already has me back on track with my playing, and I'm re-learning how to read music. Fantastic book, great price for all 3 (incl. CDs)!Easy to follow - but not patronizing simple

Hal Leonard books are the way to go! Bought a bass to sink my teeth into over lockdown (already play the guitar) and this is my guide. It’s fantastic as expected, lays out great lesson plans, really easy to follow, starts off with the basics and builds in a coherent and logical way.Uses notation, it makes it really easy to follow and if anything see this as a great opportunity to learn music notation, it’s not as hard as you think.

I’ve tried a few bass tutor books and this is the first that has really hooked me. Significantly, it doesn’t introduce tabs until halfway through the first book, and thereafter only intermittently. There’s no choice but to suck it up and learn notation which is what I’m doing. The sequence of adding strings and notes means it’s not that painful. It’s a slow process but actually more satisfying than chugging through tab exercises. The tracks on the cd are varied and well thought out, managing to give the impression that I’m contributing to some useful tunes. Small detail, but the ring bound volume lies nice and flat on a music stand or side if an armchair.

I have worked through this as an experienced musician and music teacher, but not an experienced bass player. For me, it ticks all the boxes in terms of content and logical presentation. It covers all aspects of technique and music reading in a very thorough and easy to understand way. If you want to learn bass as an experienced musician, or with the help of a teacher, it is a great book and tells you pretty much everything you need to know. The play along tracks (you get a download code) are great and I recommend getting the version with the audio tracks , not the one without them. I am not surprised how good it is, given that it was written by Ed Friedland – great bass player and teacher.

This is a great book to learn how to play the bass by reading standard musical notation. However I would only recommend that you work through it from start to finish with the aid of a teacher. Working on my own I discovered that it was better to zero in on specific parts and concentrate on learning them first. For example, relatively easy, and essential, material on chords and scales is introduced in the later books and I felt it was wiser to cover this before some of the more difficult exercises in the first book. Also, your energies might be better employed learning the bass lines of real songs that you know, rather than those given here. I did pick out a few exercises that helped with particular skills and I memorised those. The rest I used to practice reading and once they became familiar, stopped playing them. A good companion book to this would be 'Bass Guitar for Dummies'. This has a section dedicated to grooving using chords and for a beginner would be more useful if you get together with other musicians to play.

Best music tuitionbook I've ever used. Previously I've used a couple of piano books, couple of guitar books and the bass for dummies book. This has bite sized excercises that keep you progressing. You'll learn from the notes on the fretboard and on the music page while playing different musical styles. I would learn other songs that you like at the same time as working through this book but have to say it is the single best thing I've done for my playing.

This is a useful book and I am finding the lessons helpful. I do have one complaint: in spite of adjusting the balance, the bass guitar backing in some of the audio tracks is drowned out and difficult to hear properly because of the other instruments. Because of this I am deducting 2 stars.

I'm currently in college doing a BTEC Higher National Diploma course in music with bass as my first instrument. This book is not just for beginners as some reviews might say. We are using this book to learn better fingering techniques and sight reading skills. This book takes you step-by-step through all the stages needed to advance your playing skills and techniques.I recommend this to any aspiring bass players.