Reviews for Bass Grooves

1. Good book about getting grooving...

   Rated 4 out of 5 stars, April 12th, 2010

   The reason I brought this book is that I am trying to create my own music using my PC. I've been really struggling to get things to sound smooth and I suspected rhythm was one of my main problems. This book is exactly what I needed. It gives you the drum part and the bass part and explanations about how they interact. For instance it tells you what should be accented or ghosted. It covers numerous styles and also gives you a bit of background about each plus a CD with examples. My only criticism would be that it is biased towards older styles like blues, cajun, rock, etc. It could do with being modernised a bit but most people will find this book useful.....

2. Groovy

   Rated 5 out of 5 stars, August 12th, 2008

   Bass Grooves is not only well-written, it's genuinely interesting reading, unlike most music books.
   
   You get a lot of writing to explain what groove is, how to program a drum machine (essential to getting the most out of this book, though the CD is very useful), then it's on to the real meat, covering how to play and 'feel' a groove, plus dozens of different groove styles. Each of the styles has a mini history and tells you how it's best used and played. I really liked how several of the grooves were expanded to 12-bar form as examples of how they can be played with a band.
   
   The accompanying CD has most of the examples played with a full band, making it clear how the bass fits in and what sound to aim for. You will need a drum machine for practicing though, as there aren't any backing tracks.
   
   
   What it doesn't do is tell you how to play the bass mechanically. You'll need to read music or tab, and be OK with fingerings and moving around the fretboard to enjoy the lessons.
   
   Highly recommended to anyone who has the bass basics covered, and is interested in getting a natural rhythm going.