The Ultimate Beginner Series: Bass Complete by Dale Titus, Roscoe Beck, Tim Bogert and Albert Nigro

Review by Raul Amador –

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The Ultimate Beginner Series: Bass Complete
Dale Titus, Roscoe Beck, Tim Bogert, Albert Nigro
Alfred Publishing Co., Inc.

I know that the older I get, I seem to repeat myself all the time. At the risk of keeping that trend going, I will state that there is NO substitute for a real live Bass teacher! That said, here we have another solid, educational, basic Bass book/DVD combo.

The contents of this program are divided into three categories: Basic Bass, Blues Bass and Rock Bass.
The Basic Bass section takes us from the ground up. Topics covered include: Gear information, tuning instruction, how to change strings, basic theory and basic technique.

The great thing about this set is that the DVD and the Book are complimentary and this really helps those of us who are visual learners! Dale Titus covers the basics and even gives students, optimistic words of encouragement.

The Blues Bass section takes off under the guidance of Roscoe Beck and friends. There is a small overlap of information where some basics are reviewed. (Perhaps because this used to be three books instead of one?) Nonetheless, you get a decent assortment of blues lines to put in your tool belt. Areas covered include 12-bar blues, shuffle blues, two beat blues, slow blues, minor blues, and alternative styles.

Once you have learned a good amount of blues lines, you can apply what you have learned to a play-along section.

Bassist Tim Bogert and friends cover the Rock Bass section. Tim’s “Pearl” of knowledge for rock is to “Lock in with the drummer”. This advice is universal to all styles and makes the difference between good and great players.

Tim demonstrates multiple classic rock feels including Rock Ballad, Quarter note, eighth note, sixteenth note, rock shuffle and Boogie feels. He also demonstrates Tapping, Harmonics and Double-stops.
In summary, there is a lot of good material in the Book/DVD set so anyone, beginner or more advanced, can learn something from it.

Check it out!

Available at Bassbooks.com

Interested in Bass Books, CD’s and DVD’s? If so,
Join the discussion in the Bass Musician Magazine Community!