Foundation Exercises for Bass

A Fun Way to Learn to Play Bass!

Whether you're picking up the bass for the first time or finally getting serious about mastering it, this comprehensive and easy-to-follow method from Chuck Sher offers everything you need to build a rock-solid foundation on acoustic or electric bass.

Foundation Exercises for Bass was designed to help students sound musical from the very beginning, with an emphasis on developing strong rhythm, intuitive fretboard knowledge, and the ability to create your own bass lines right away. Divided into 33 progressive lessons, this is an inspiring roadmap from day one to intermediate-level fluency.

What the Book Includes

• 33 lessons moving from complete beginner to intermediate topics

• A painless method for learning to read music and count rhythms

• Fingerboard mapping using major, minor, and mixolydian scales

• Scale, arpeggio, and interval studies that develop musical fluency

• Ear training exercises and a system for hearing "target beats"

• Techniques for shifting, finger placement, and rhythmic feel

• A clear approach to harmony, chord progressions, and functional bass lines

• Fun "instant music" practice strategies using your own bass lines

• Sample grooves in various genres, including blues and pop styles

• A gold mine of classroom-ready lessons for private bass teachers

Why You'll Love It:

• Helps beginners actually sound like musicians from the very first lesson

• Perfect for both self-taught musicians and structured teaching settings

Spiral-bound, 87 pages, Table of Contents.

Sample Pages: 

• Lesson 5 - Organizing Notes into Scales - The Minor Scale
• Lesson 32 - Practicing

Endorsements:

“Everything you need to get started and continue through to intermediate levels is here for you. It’s a well-thought-out foundational approach... A great book for the self-motivated bassist or as a unique method book for instructors.”
— Marc Johnson

“Chuck Sher has given us a thorough, comprehensive catalog of rudiments, presented in a way that makes working on them fun. It offers a clear and concise compendium of information we can apply directly to our work away from the practice room, on the bandstand. Congratulations on another fine piece of work!”
— Steve Swallow

“Your new book is great for the beginning bassist in that it encapsulates the fundamentals of what is going to be expected of them as a bass player, but it also never loses sight of the harder to teach extra musical concepts that can often be overlooked. The technical side of bass playing is concisely chronicled in your book, but it is well-balanced by the more esoteric ideas concerning what makes music a living force. Thanks for this!”
— Larry Grenadier

“A great tool with a wide range of material that covers an array of contemporary styles and great reading examples. This book gives a great foundation to anybody interested in mastering the basics of the bass.”
— Oscar Stagnaro

Chuck Sher started as a jazz musician in 1970 and founded Sher Music Co. in 1979 with The Improvisor's Bass Method. This book received acclaim and paved the way for the '80s "The New Real Book," a legitimate alternative to the earlier illegal version. Sher's company later published hits like The Jazz Piano Book and The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine. With over 120 books on jazz and Latin music, and endorsements from top artists like Chick Corea and Esperanza Spalding, Sher Music Co. stands as the premier jazz music publisher. Chuck's commitment to the highest quality is rooted in his musician background, aiming to always put the music first.