Eb Bass study books/music

[geordiecolin]

I have come to a conclusion.

To enable my playing to move foward, i am going to have to stop playing the bizarre mix of Euphonium and Cornet music i currently use to practice cos i 'm too tight to buy any proper bass music.

I got my student loan on tuesday and am temporarily rich, (well less overdrawn anyway!). So i'm going to invest it in some music

Can anyone recommend to me any good bass study books or music? preferably treble clef, although bass clef isn't a problem.

Thanks a lot

[Phil Green]

What are you trying to acheive? If it's to increase your tuba repertoire buy some tuba solos/concertos; Gregson, Vaughn-Williams, Williams, Glass, Arnold, Penderecci have all written challenging stuff.
If you want to improve as a player, find an exercise in your current books that you can't play and work on it until you can. Then find another. If you need to get back to basics buy an Arban - Complete Method. It'll cover anything you need, except pedals and once you've got the basics for these right the rest is practice.You don't need fancy books, practice stuff you can't play until you can and you'll get better! That way you can spend more of your student loan on what it's meant for..... :guiness

If you need any specific help, ask away. If I can't help I'm sure someone here will.

Phil.

[Wonky_Baton]

Practice loads of bass solos out of the libraries of local brass bands and spend the money you save on drink like a proper student :wink:

Sunderland Till I Die :twisted:

[Aussie Tuba]

I have come to a conclusion.

To enable my playing to move foward, i am going to have to stop playing the bizarre mix of Euphonium and Cornet music i currently use to practice cos i 'm too tight to buy any proper bass music.

I got my student loan on tuesday and am temporarily rich, (well less overdrawn anyway!). So i'm going to invest it in some music

Can anyone recommend to me any good bass study books or music? preferably treble clef, although bass clef isn't a problem.

Thanks a lot




I Found that Wright and Rounds Complete Method was pretty good for improving tone sound and tecnique , and is a fair bit smaller and cheaper than the Arbon

[Big Fella]

There is a set of books done by Roger Bobo, that are readily available, i got a set from local library.
They cover most things that you need to practice. This way you can save more money for the real reason of being a student !!!!!!
:guiness :guiness :hammer

[geordiecolin]

Thanks, i'll look into the suggestions.

As for what i am trying to achieve, i am looking to improve my stamina, lip slurs and general tone. While i do use arban and there are still a lot of studies in there for me to do, i am curious as to whether there is any specific bass studies out there. If there were a Charlie Jamhead's Bass Method or suchlike, it would be a lot more relevant than arban.

Unfortunatly Sheffield City Library is terrible in music terms, but i might raid the band library

[Phil Green]

Colin,
why would it be more relevant? A lip slur is a lip slur is a lip slur. Providing you have the basic techique under your belt and a decent embouchure then the Arban is perfect, as is the Wright and Round, in fact so is the Otto Langley!
To improve your stamina shove a pillow down your bell and blow like "flip" for 15 minutes each practise session and to improve your sound play lots of nice, long notes using the "warm air" from the bottom of your lungs first.

I think you'd be better advised to get a couple of lessons from a top player (I'd suggest James Gourlay) who'll make sure that the basics of your playing are correct. Then use whatever study book you have lying around to improve on them.

I'm just trying to save you money!

Phil.

[Aussie Tuba]

Thanks, i'll look into the suggestions.

As for what i am trying to achieve, i am looking to improve my stamina, lip slurs and general tone. While i do use arban and there are still a lot of studies in there for me to do, i am curious as to whether there is any specific bass studies out there. If there were a Charlie Jamhead's Bass Method or suchlike, it would be a lot more relevant than arban.

Unfortunatly Sheffield City Library is terrible in music terms, but i might raid the band library

The only way that I know of to improve stamina is to Practice Scales with lots of long steady notes (eight beats and longer ) and lipslurrs which i would assume are in the Arban come with practice , lots and lots of practice !!!!!!!

[geordiecolin]

I think you'd be better advised to get a couple of lessons from a top player (I'd suggest James Gourlay) who'll make sure that the basics of your playing are correct. Then use whatever study book you have lying around to improve on them.

I'm just trying to save you money!

Phil.

Phil, thanks for all the help and advice you've given me, it is really appreciated and it is a tribute to the mouthpiece.com that i can recieve free advice from a Fodens Bass player!
Your points are valid and i thank you for clearing up my query for me. I definitely agree that a few lessons would be of great help to me as i haven't had a lesson since i left school. I will look into it.

I didn't really mean to question the relevance of Arban, i think i came across wrong and my choice of words was incorrect. What i meant was that while Arban is a fantastic study book, is there a specific bass text out there? Not to replace, but possibly enhance the practice arban gives me.

At the risk of using a very tenuous analogy which be may be easily misconstrued, i could liken my theory to a Haynes car manual for a vauxhall astra being used on a cavalier, the basics are all correct, but a cavalier manual could have a few more specific tweaks.

As it happens though, there doesnt appear to be such a book and the general consensus seems to be that arban is more than adequate and so i'll stick with my arban. It would appear that the proverbial cavalier manual would be of no extra use.

Again thanks to all for all the advice.

I'm off to practice my arban (well not at 11.41pm) and spend my overdraft on student essentials :guiness safe in the knowledge that my playing isn't potentially suffering as a result!!

[Phil Green]

Phil, thanks for all the help and advice you've given me, it is really appreciated and it is a tribute to the mouthpiece.com that i can recieve free advice from a Fodens Bass player!


Who said it was free??

Now I know you've got a Student Loan my bill's in the post. :wink:

Phil

[geordiecolin]

can i pay by cheque??


BOING!!!!