Rob MacKillop

Good idea.

Agreed. Even more useful for fretless intonation workouts.

Cheers, Burno.

Cheers, Pete. They're good etudes. I hope other members here taken them on. It would be good to build up videos of the whole book. I try to just look at the side dots, but every now and then the fretboard dots distract me. Ah well, there are worse things in the world to worry about. I'll get used to them!

Cheers, Daz. Four string is enough for me. If five, I'm not sure if I'd want a higher or lower string. And while I dither over that, four strings are enough to keep me busy.

The book is great for sight reading, with all keys presented in their modes and the melodic minor scale. Each piece gives a flavour of the scale or mode. Nice to have a few Phrygian pieces in there, not to mention Locrian. There is no tab, and no fingering, which is ideal if you want to improve your sight reading. Published by Carl Fischer.

Aiden - it is a great bass for the money, and 2nd-hand even better if in good condition. They've tried to cater for everybody's preference regarding fret markers. The side dots are all I need. The in-between dots might suit someone else. But they've also added black thin lines where the frets would be. They are so thin and so dark, I can't actually see them when playing, unless I face a light and stick my neck out. My personal preference is side dots in the usual places, including the 3rd. If we are going to have fret lines, then make them visible. But as for in-between dots on the fretboard - who wants that? Otherwise it is perfect 🙂 Ambient - thanks. Glad you like it.

I've just started the first of John Patitucci's Melodic Etudes, and am very impressed with them. I'd like to know if anyone else here is working through the book? There are 60 studies in various keys and with various scales, and then there is a scale dictionary at the back, with separate fingering for upright and bass guitars. I've just done a video of the first study, in C Major. I recorded it twice: once unplugged but with a close mic, the second time through a Phil Jones Double Four. I like the acoustic sound, although completely impractical in any gig situation! The bass is the Ibanez SRH500F, a great instrument for the price, though I really wish it didn't have those "in-between frets" dots on the fretboard, which are really distracting! TI-Flats - can't remember the gauge.

Thanks, guys. The Guitarfetish Dano pups look interesting.

Not a pedal fan, but thanks for the suggestion.

Of course, I should have thought of Aaron. No lipsticks on his site, but I could send him the casings, I suppose. I'll wait until the holiday period is over. Cheers.

I love my Danelectro Dead on 58 Longhorn. It has a neck I just LOVE playing on. But the pickups are too weak - I have to put the amp volume up much higher than with any other bass. Also, the tone and volume controls are laughable, very difficult to hear any difference no matter how much you turn them round. So, I need new pups and a new harness. I would even consider ditching the tone/volume controls for more regular stacked ones. Any thoughts? I tend to play clean and warm tones, not overdriven. Edit: I also play with Rotosound Black Tapewounds.

Yes, they are, and yes, they are very tuneful. I love playing them. I might make a video of them all (the ones I've chosen for the book) soon. You can hear ALL the sound files for the book here: https://robmackillop.net/bass/ Cheers, Rob

There's also this: https://robmackillop.net/bass/ Any questions, just ask.

Thank you.

Question: Would you suggest this slimline 3/4 bass over a 1/2 bass for a bass guitar player moving on to a double bass? I've been playing bass guitar for many years, and I'm tall (just in case that makes a difference to your decision). I play jazz.

Good to see the book being used. I've been using it with a couple of students, who are really getting a lot from it. Any problems or questions, just ask.

The book is currently available in the UK through Amazon's third-party sellers: https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/offer-listing/1513461427 The Amazon listing gives a "Look Inside" the Kindle version: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Classical-Contemporary-Studies-Bass-Guitar/dp/1513461427/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1534236777&sr=8-1&keywords=Rob+MacKillop+bass Any questions, ask away. Cheers.

Usually takes a month or so before Mel Bay Europe get it into Amazon.

What are you waiting for? 😎

I think you've chosen well. Take Five will show your competence in playing and soloing in an "odd" time signature. Autumn Leaves is a tired old warhorse, but an essential one to be absolutely competent in. And All Blues will demonstrate groove playing and blues soloing. Good luck. Can you bring a backing track, or will someone there comp on a keyboard during the interview?

@petebassist - Pete, it's a book for fingerstyle bass guitar, as you know. When it comes to playing on an upright, you create your own rules. The Bottesini are all single-note studies, no chords, so could be played bowed or pizz. The Isbin - I can imagine them either way too, but am not 100% sure. Best wishes.

And for completion's sake, here's a video compilation of the sound files for the 19th-century studies by Giovanni Bottesini:

Cheers, Pete. Well, Bottesini was an upright player, though apparently his bass only had three strings. You should also try these on the upright. I'd love to know if the Isbin pieces would also work on an upright.