All About Bass by Chad Johnson

I found this book one day I was wandering through Costco (A huge warehouse store here in the US). Since you almost never find any Bass stuff at Costco I grabbed it right up at a super price. You get a book with a CD (On a practical note, if you do find this at Costco and decide to buy it, check the CD before you leave — Mine had a defect and by the time I got back they were sold out!).

This book covers a broad spectrum starting with basic knowledge and moving up to full song transcriptions. The accompanying CD has 85 tracks!

Beginners will get the most out of this comprehensive tome. Topics covered include equipment, basic theory, fitness and posture, the role of the bass in music of different styles, and a who’s who of the top ten most influential players.  (An area usually greatly neglected in my humble opinion and one that Bass Musician Magazine has set out to rectify. Three of these mentioned players have graced our covers and given us amazing interviews!)

The song transcriptions include five fairly current, fun tunes. I particularly enjoyed Aerosmyths “Sweet Emotion” and The Jackson Fives “I want you back “. These transcriptions include the written music and Tab notation.

Lastly, this book is an easy read! You can work through it from the beginning to end or jump around the chapters and still get a lot of benefit. There is so much information it ends up being a good reference to go back to when you need it.