Customer Reviews
Not for beginners. May be a good book, but you'd better be able to read music 
2008-04-28
Standard notation only -- This may be a really good instruction book, but not if you can't read it. I don't read music, so this one gets tossed back. Why no TAB? (I can work out the notes, sure, but I've got 15 other instruction books, many of which have a ton of scale patterns that I'm probably never going to get to & finger-strengthening excercises are also in most of these books, so why keep this one?)
A beginner would probably enjoy something more fun/entertaining than scales & scale exercises, even if this is the best way to learn.
So if you are an absolute beginner & can't read music, maybe skip this one & look for a book that has: TABLATURE (notes written in an easy-to-figure-out manner). Possibly also look for some sort of CD- or DVD-included with whatever book you choose so you can hear what a particular piece is meant to sound like.
One other thing, & this has absolutely nothing to do with this book, which looks like a perfectly good book: generally speaking, I've found mel bay titles to be not-so-good, so if you have any choice--and often in music shops you don't--steer clear of mel bay publications.
(i'm sure that there are exceptions to the mel bay thing, but I haven't found any for beginner how-to music books).
If you are a serious bass player and/or can read music, or feel like learning to read music, then the other reviews for this book are much, much more appropriate than this one & no offense is intended.
bass player 
2008-01-19
An excellent book for beginners and for players who want to say fresh with plenty of practice exercises. Learn from one of the great masters of bass playing. Highly recommended.
Good book, if your willing to study like a college student 2004-09-13
This is a hard core introduction to all scales and arpegios you can think of, plus a few you couldn't have. If you master each exercise, with your metronome set at least to 80 bpm, you will get a LOT out of this book. It will take a lot of will power to turn from one page of exercises to next. It is more practise than music, most of the time. This is OK, as long as you are serious.
Unfortunately, there is no CD, but you probably wouldn't want to listen to it anyway.
Also, I'm going to go on a limb here, and say ignore the "right hand" technique section. Chuck has a very unorthodox way of plucking the strings.
It's not easy, but if Chuck Rainey says this will make me play better, I'm going to believe him:)
From the Classical Musician's Perspective... 
2004-05-15
I found this book to be very well done and a good resouce for the higher level beginner/intermediate player. Many people have written to note Rainey's odd playing style, and I would agree with them - it is probably actually best for the student to skip this section.
It is important to understand that Rainey wrote this method book much like the Arban's book for trumpet players - more exercises than you can fathom and very few bells and whisltes.
If you can take the dry, repetetive (and sometimes downright boring) studies, then there is no question you will be a better bassist.
Great Book for Learning Bass Guitar 2003-03-11
I've been playing piano for a number of years and recently decided to take up the Bass Guitar. I don't currently have the time or money to work with an instructor for learning the bass. I picked up Rainey's book and found it to be very good. I'm about half way through the book and am now looking to buy the next book in his series. I don't know if this book is good for someone who is 'brand-new' to music, in general. It could be. But, having already had a background in music but NO practical experience with the Bass, this book has proven to be very valuable. I personally recommend this book. The author has a good, straight forward way of teaching that I really enjoy.
Todd
This is a great method book for a serious student 2000-08-31
Contains many original exercises designed to strengthen the hands and give independent finger control.
Stop Right Here 2000-02-21
Rainey has written a superbly balanced compilation of great importance for every bassist, no matter what their skill level. This world class player will keep you interested, as a beginner in the fundimentals, or, serious as a professional. Chuck Rainey's magic is no longer a secret. It will stay with you throughout your journey and show you what bass is all about.
Stop Right Here 2000-02-20
Rainey has written a superbly balanced compilation of great importance for every bassist, no matter what their skill level. This world class player will keep you interested, as a beginner in the fundimentals, or, serious as a professional. Chuck Rainey's magic is no longer a secret. It will stay with you throughout your journey and show you what bass is all about.
Not for the true beginner... 1999-03-03
This book will help those who already play another instrument (specifically the piano) or know the basics of music theory. But if you are a true beginner this book will not make it easy to start up. It's more of a practice book for improving chops.
