Some early comments from the NEW POPULAR BASS METHOD
From David Walter, Professor of Bass Juilliard School of Music:
“The books are a major contribution to our methodology!! The clarity of your presentation through the fine illustrations and pleasant music offers a warm invitation to young bassists. In effect you are saying ‘Bass can be easy and can be fun’. I heartily recommend your and Jeff Neighbor’s excellent ‘vade mecum’ and predict an enormous growth in our bassists populations thanks to YOUR efforts!”
From Tod Coolman, jazz bassist:
“Let me say that they are thoughtful and, in my opinion, innovative. It is a great service for you to dismantle the following traditional barriers:
- Jazz/Popular/Folk/Classical. I am glad to see the focus here on the mastery of the instrument-on becoming the most proficient bassist we can, regardless of idiom
- Repertoire- Yes…. give us some beautiful music and nice tunes to practice so we can enjoy the aesthetic nature of what we are producing. Bravo!
- Defeats the upper register “taboos.” I love the way you get us into upper positions pronto- thus demystifying them and not setting up the usual mental block of “we’ll get to that later…it’s really the hard stuff.” I am excited by these works, they are a much needed and long overdue addition to the pedagogical literature, and I take my hat off to you.
To your continued success,
Todd Coolman