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Bass Fitness - An Exercising Handbook (Guitar School) |  | Author: Josquin des Pres
Brand: Hal Leonard
Category: Book
List Price: $9.95
Buy New: $4.79
as of 9/4/2010 08:26 MDT details
You Save: $5.16 (52%)
New (25) Used (16) Collectible (1) from $4.70
Seller: any_book
Rating:  18 reviews
Sales Rank: 15986
Media: Paperback
Edition: 1
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Pages: 72
Number Of Items: 1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.7
Dimensions (in): 11.7 x 8.8 x 0.3
MPN: 660177
Model: 660177
ISBN: 0793502489
Dewey Decimal Number: 781
UPC: 073999601770
EAN: 9780793502486
ASIN: 0793502489
Publication Date: May 1, 1991
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | ISBN13: 9780793502486 | | • | Condition: New | | • | Notes: BUY WITH CONFIDENCE, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and service to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed |
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Product Description
Provides the aspiring bass player with a wide variety of finger exercises for developing the techniques necessary to succeed in today's music scene. It will also play an important role in your daily practice. The 200 bass exercises are designed to help increase your speed, improve your dexterity, develop accuracy, and promote finger independence. Recommended by world-acclaimed bass players, music schools, and music magazines, Bass Fitness is the ultimate bass handbook. The added use of photos makes the bass lessons complete! 71 pages.
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
 Dexterity and finger independance for the masses!!! March 24, 2005
Joshua Paredez (Cody, Wyo)
42 out of 42 found this review helpful
Aight, here's the thing. This book is boring. yup. boring. And you're thinking, "Well, if it's boring, then why'd you give it 5 stars?". Because as a musician you have some choices to make. Playing exciting material poorely, or... play boring material well so that you can play exciting material well.
When I purchased this book I had recently made the decision to switch to a fluid 4 finger right hand method. And this book, although written for left hand method, has the potential to help you mentally seperate all 8 of your primary usable digits. I wrote out opposable right hand patterns to play the written left hand exercises, and I must tell you it has been a journey. But then again I think I've probly doubled in ability in the last year and I attribute much of that to this text. If you purchase this book and practice one of these a day, starting at 60bpm and working to 180, while using at least 12 positions for 20 or so minutes... I guarentee you, you will be a stronger bassists. But then again thats a lot of commitment. If your looking for simple chop builders this might not be for you. Although these exersices are relativly simple, they still require a strength of will.
The only book I've ever used cover to cover March 14, 2006
M. Rogers (Central Pennsylvania)
19 out of 20 found this review helpful
I can't guarantee you'll improve your dexterity, accuracy, and speed, but daily practice with this book easily doubled my dexterity and accuracy. If you buy it, you have to use it as part of your ongoing practice routine. When I stopped using it, my technique started to fall off again. It was hard for me at first, especially the exercises later in the book, so I used a pick. I was amazed how fast I improved and was soon doing the exercises fingerstyle. I was trying to see how fast I could go initially, but then realized that much of the benefit from doing the exercises came from doing them accurately, with each note sounding clear and strong. The exercises aren't melodic sounding at all; that can affect your ability to do them if you let it. Josquin des Pres doesn't have a lot of verbal instruction in the book (nor does he in his Slap bass book) which is a shame, because he seems very bright and could offer a lot in the way of hints etc. A must have book for bassists of all styles, especially for those that have hit a plateau and can't seem to move forward.
Great for its intended purpose April 25, 2009
Wintertiger
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
I wish this had been out when I started. Great at improving speed, accuracy, tone and endurance. Be warned: this is a hard-work resource for people who are serious about playing bass.
I will add a few notes, for the author's instructions are minimal (though certainly enough to sort it out yourself). If you play one exercise at 60, 120, and 180 bpm, it will take you 12 minutes to complete with no breaks. Absolutely do it to a metronome, as the exercises will double as some good tempo training. Be ruthless about emphasizing the precision and clarity of tone; otherwise, you will sound like those Saturday afternoon guitar store show-offs who blaze away and sound terrible.
When I am done, I also add five minutes on plucking hand only at the fastest speed I can go (with metronome, moving randomly up and down the strings) to get song-length endurace and accuracy at high speed. This seems to even out the workout on both hands in a practical manner.
Set the actual BPM count to end at the highest you can do accurately, which is probably not 180 at first. Then work the numbers up. Do start with the 60 bpm suggested, as it helps teach you how to hold down slow grooves.
This is not musical training, so make it only a small part of your daily routine, no more than a quarter of the total time. Do not shorten your other practice. If you have a limited amount of time for everything (welcome to the real world), then you must work out some abbreviated version.
Do NOT start doing these two days before a gig, because your hands are going to be a bit stiff and sore for a while, and your accuracy and speed will temporarily suffer.
Great resource for the serious bassist. Lousy resource if you want to look at pretty pictures and fantasize about being a rock star.
SHHHH... don't tell anyone May 25, 2007
Tim Fay (Sonora, Ca)
10 out of 12 found this review helpful
Please keep quiet about this book, now that I have it, no one else needs to know! Okay, yeah, you'll improve a lot in a short time (if you're honest with yourself and practice it), but why bother? I also have other books by Mr. des Pres that have helped, but not as much as this one. This book if followed will only allow you to develop a higher level of dexterity and acuracy. You don't need that! Instead buy something to trick out your axe so you'll look cool without sounding that way. But if you insist on buying this, and practice it consistently, you'll get more gigs, don't say I didn't warn you!
Does what it says on the tin. August 23, 2007
R. Lorenz (Buffalo, NY)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
This book has helped add a much needed dimension to my practice routine. I have improved my strength, speed, and accuracy by applying the techniques in this book. Some people may think it's superfluous, because most of the exercises are pretty common-sense and many are available elsewhere on the internet free of charge. I knew this when I purchased it, because I wanted a hard-copy volume to reference to. This book does exactly what it says on the tin. If you are teaching yourself to play the electric bass, or if you are in need of some supplementary help to surprise your teacher or band mates, then buy this book. It should be noted, however, that this book will only help you if you practice the exercises for 15 minutes on top of your normal hour-a-day practice schedule. I can't fault this book in any way, because if you follow the directions word-for-word, it will do exactly what it advertises.
Showing reviews 1-5 of 18
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