bc_dup1 Posted September 18, 2003 Posted September 18, 2003 I'm a self-taught player and have worked on my reading to the point where I can recognise the notes and know where they are on the bass, but my sight-reading is let down because I keep getting caught in the wrong position. I need to work on this and would welcome book suggestions. Is Simandl still reckoned to be the best, even for electric players?
jeremy c Posted September 18, 2003 Posted September 18, 2003 Simandl is still the best. I have gone through this book in many ways. 1)Using the exact fingerings mentioned. 2)Using 1 finger per fret and playing as much as possible without changing positions. 3)Sight reading as fast as possible just to see what positions my unconsious mind found first. What also will help you in reading is to read as far ahead as possible so you can see what is coming up and so you can recognize patterns. If you recognize a scale or arpeggio you can use whatever fingering is most comfortable for you. Free download of my cd!.
davebrownbass Posted September 18, 2003 Posted September 18, 2003 Simandl is great. I think it's usefulness might be compromised around third position. On electric, I tend to think across the strings a lot more than on URB. Simandl really emphasizes the shifting on one string approach. That being said, there are 2 editions of Simandl. The original is currently published by C. Fisher. It only offers one option for fingering...Franz's own. This is the exact edition I require for my URB students. There is an edition edited by Stuart Sankey, published by International. It offers more across the string fingering options...and might be a tad more useful for electric. However, Mr. Sankey renamed the positions in his edition. This was a dumb idea, frankly. Violin, Viola and Cello and Simandl Bass all use the same naming conventions. Music is published and sometimes edited with position names....but a student who learns from Mr. Sankey's edition doesn't know the "real name" of each position. This causes much confusion. "Let's raise the level of this conversation" -- Jeremy Cohen, in the Picasso Thread. Still spendin' that political capital far faster than I can earn it...stretched way out on a limb here and looking for a better interest rate.
bc_dup1 Posted September 19, 2003 Author Posted September 19, 2003 Thanks guys. Simandl it is. Unfortunately availability seems limited in UK - not sure I'll be able to pick and choose between editions, I may just have to take what's available.
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