The Best Beatles Books for Bass Players

THE BEATLES: SGT PEPPERS BASS TRANSCRIPTIONS

Many people regard this as The Beatles’ most important album and it sits proudly at the top of many “best albums ever” lists. Paul McCartney’s bass playing is melodic, inventive and great fun to play. This book contains all of his playing note-for-note as well as information on techniques, studio effects and dates of recording. 

THE BEATLES: COMPLETE SCORES

When we say complete, we mean it. Here are the bass, guitar, drum and vocal parts for every song The Beatles recorded. All 210 of them! In one deluxe hardbound volume with slipcase. Includes all your favorites as well as many you’ve likely never heard. It’s a truly wondrous collection of historic, creative and fun-to-play music. 

THE BEATLES: 1962-1966

26 Bass lines from The Beatles’ early hits transcribed note-for-note with tab, including: All My Loving, And I Love Her, Can’t Buy Me Love, Drive My Car, Eight Days a Week, Eleanor Rigby, From Me to You, Girl, A Hard Day’s Night, Help!, I Want to Hold Your Hand, Michelle, Nowhere Man, Paperback Writer, She Loves You, Ticket to Ride, We Can Work It Out, Yellow Submarine, Yesterday and more. Written in Standard Notation and TAB. 88 pages.

THE BEATLES: 1967-1970

Note-for-note bass transcriptions with tab for 28 later-day Beatles favorites, including: Across the Universe, All You Need Is Love, Back in the U.S.S.R. , The Ballad of John and Yoko, Come Together, Don’t Let Me Down, Here Comes the Sun, Hey Jude, Let It Be, The Long and Winding Road, Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds, Octopus’s Garden, Penny Lane, Revolution, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, Something, With a Little Help from My Friends, and more. 

THE BEATLES BASS (SIGNATURE LICKS)

Learn the trademark bass lines from rock’s most influential band! This step-by-step breakdown of Paul McCartney’s bass guitar style includes in-depth analysis of 16 Beatles’ classics: All My Loving, And Your Bird Can Sing, Come Together, Day Tripper, Getting Better, Hey Bulldog, I Want You (She’s So Heavy), Michelle, Nowhere Man, Paperback Writer, Polythene Pam, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window, Slow Down, Something, Taxman, You Never Give Me Your Money. Includes audio CD. 

THE BEATLES 1965-1970 BASS TRANSCRIPTIONS

The most influential band ever, at the height of their entertainment powers: The Beatles in the second half of the 1960s. Aidan Hampson has created a super-sized collection of favorites, with the melodic bass lines played by Paul McCartney on 17 of the band’s best-loved songs. You remember them all, now you can enjoy playing them! 

THE BEATLES – ABBEY ROAD

Note-for-note transcriptions of Paul’s Bass parts from all 17 tracks from the classic album. Songs include: Carry That Weight, Come Together, The End, Golden Slumbers, Here Comes the Sun, Maxwell’s Silver Hammer, She Came in Through the Bathroom Window, Something, You Never Give Me Your Money and more. 

PAUL MCCARTNEY: PLAYING THE GREAT BEATLES BASSLINES

Paul McCartney is one of the best pop bass players in the world, and this book presents a musical analysis of his consistently inventive and influential bass playing during his tenure in the Beatles. This indispensable guide offers full transcriptions of nine of McCartney’s most revered bass parts. 

HOFNER VIOLIN BEATLE BASS – 2011 EDITION

The book offers scholarly detail of the fabled history of McCartney playing the two left-handed 500/1 basses. McCartney used the 1961 bass until the recording of With the Beatles in late 1963 when he obtained his second 500/1. He used his 1963 bass almost exclusively during the Beatles’ touring career. 

BASS PLAY-ALONG: THE BEATLES

Probably the most influential musical group ever, The Beatles did it all — including creating lots of songs you simply must know how to play. Here are bass lines to eight of them. The HL Play-Along download includes full-band tracks as well as bass-free backing tracks and can be slowed down without changing pitch.