Books
Unfortunately, the Amzon UK links on this page have stopped working, but I’m on the case and they should be live again shortly…
Get ‘The Jazz Musician’s Guide to Creative Practicing’ at Amazon (UK)
Get ‘The Jazz Musician’s Guide to Creative Practicing’ at Amazon (US)
This is a great book, and highly recommended for those intermediate to advanced players who feel a bit lost with what to practice. It assumes that you already understand a certain amount of musical theory (so that it can quickly refer to it and get stuck into the exercises.) and leaps into giving you ideas and approaches, rather than ‘put-this-finger-there’ type education.
Get ‘Modern Reading Text In 4/4: For All Instruments’ at Amazon (UK)
Get ‘Modern Reading Text in 4/4 For All Instruments’ at Amazon (US)
When I studies at the ICMP, way back in 1997 (when it was the Basstech) we used this book for rhythm studies and year after year, I come back to it as an indispensible practice tool. It presents rhythms from the very simple, to the extrememly complex in a straightforward and progressive system. Anyone wishing to advance their ability to read music or simply to gain a better understanding of rhythm needs to have this book in their collection.
Get ‘Odd Time Reading Text: For All Instruments’ at Amazon (UK)
Get ‘Odd Time Reading Text: For All Instruments’ at Amazon (US)
Bellson’s follow up allows you work on reading, playing and understanding rhythm in the context of odd time signatures (i.e. those based around an odd number of beats: 3, 5, 7, 9 etc..) Again, this is a great tool for developing your own rhythmic vocabulary, even if you don’t intend to play a lot of odd time music, it will deepen your understanding of time and the context of groove and subdivisions in which we play.
Get ‘Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within’ at Amazon (UK)
Get ‘Effortless Mastery: Liberating the Master Musician Within’ at Amazon (US)
This is a fantastic book and highly recommended for any of us that suffer from performance related issues, be it stage fright, physical tension in practice or simply feeling overwhelmed and lost in the sheer depth and breadth of music. I have recommended this to a number of students who have had wonderful breakthroughs and recaptured their love of playing at a time when they were struggling with music in general.
Get ‘This is Your Brain on Music’ at Amazon (UK)
Get ‘This Is Your Brain on Music’ at Amazon (US)
For those of us concerned with not only the ‘how?’ of music, but also the ‘why?’, this book can give you serious food for thought. Exploring the nature of the human brain (in so much as we understand it at this early part of the 21st century) this book asks what it is that moves us, compels us, touches us, when we listen to music. Why do we love certain artists or genres, what is it within a song that just feels right and how is that we can recgnise a cover version of a song when there’s a different voice at a different tempo in a different key, with other musicians and a new arrangement? It also explains these ideas in very simple language that you don’t need to be a musician to understand. An essential tool for players, teachers and songwriters alike.
Get ‘The Inner Game of Music’ at Amazon (UK)
Get ‘The Inner Game of Music’ at Amazon (US)
Ever suffered from stage fright? Then you need to check out the Inner Game. There are a number of Inner Game Books, from Music to Golf and Tennis, they all explore the same idea: The logical and the creative sides of the brain can often be at odds with one another. We need to find strategies for quieting the logical side and letting the creative do what you’ve spent so long training it to do. Just play. I read the Inner Game in my early 20′s and would recommend it wholeheartedly to anyone who struggles with the pre-gig butterflys.
Get ‘Fingerboard Harmony for Bass’ at Amazon (UK)
Get ‘Fingerboard Harmony for Bass’ at Amazon (US)
This is pretty heavy going as instructional books go. You are not going to have hours of fun, nor are you going to find enlightenment through whisical metaphor that may one day lead you to become a more emotional musician. This is a serious, number crunching ass-kicking book. If you think you know your fingerboard well and you have a good understanding of harmony, try working through Willis’ collection of exercises here. I dip into this book every so often – it was just too heavy to go through all at once. Highly recommended though, if you like that sort of thing….
Get ‘Zen Guitar’ at Amazon (UK)
Get ‘Zen Guitar’ at Amazon (US)
Quite the opposite of the Willis book, this is a wondeful stroll into the forest of musical imagination. Using Zen Philosophy, it encourages us to ask questions of ourself, to understand our reasons for the way that we play and to explore a more healthy and generous approach to music and playing with others. If you don’t play guitar, just substitute your discipline – every time he says ‘guitar’ you can think ‘bass’ or ‘drums’ or whatever… I’m reading this right now and some of the quotoes from famous guitarists, as well as the concise and thought provoking little mini-chapters made me smile out loud on the tube…
Get ‘The Jazz Theory Book’ at Amazon (UK)
Get ‘The Jazz Theory Book’ at Amazon (US)
A good all round introduction to Jazz and the musical theory that we employ when we play. These sort of books are great for reference, although there is surely no substitute for getting out and playing some standards. Don’t think that study of this book alone will make you into a Jazz musician. It will however abswer many of the questions you may have and help you to analyse and understand in real terms, why certain things that you play work while others do not.
Get ‘The Advancing Guitarist’ at Amazon (UK)
Get ‘The Advancing Guitarist’ at Amazon (US)
Goodrick’s book is a great resource for those of you who want to develop a fast brain, as opposed to just fast fingers, on the guitar. You won’t find a collection of cool licks that will help you sound more hip, but rather a range of exercises that challenge you to approach your guitar in ways that you may not have considered before. It does require a certain amount of personal discipline to see it through. Hard work can be fun but this book is definitely not about the quick fix…
Get ‘Standing in the Shadows of Motown: The Life and Music of Legendary Bassist James Jamerson (Book & CD)’ at Amazon (UK)
If you call yourself a bass player and you don’t have an intimate and involved knowledge of James Jamerson’s music… then you’re living a lie. Get this book! It has some of the hottest bassists in the world, from Geddy Lee to Anthony Jackson, each grabbing hold of a favourite motown bass line, playing through and in some cases discussing what made that line so magical and memorable. He was the first truly electric bassist – he is the starting point of our instrument’s history. Get clued up or GTFO… 
