Incredible wealth of exercises. 1/2 the price of the video!
Bill M. | MA, USA | 03/06/2004
(5 out of 5 stars)
"First of all, I'm not a die-hard Jaco fan. Hell, he isn't even in my personal top 10 list. So my reason for giving this 5 stars is not "because it's Jaco"; it's because this package contains a WEALTH of bass knowledge and exercises designed for the non-beginner, jam packed into a 36 page book and single CD. The contents of this book/CD package were directly taken from the video edition of the same title. But the book/CD stands alone as a separate product; you DO NOT need the video to make sense of it. In fact after I bought this, it was still years before I got to see the video. The book starts off with a quick review of the scales and modes, and the rest consists of transcriptions of all the exercises and solo pieces found on the CD. One thing that sets some of these excercises apart from other books is that they're fun and musical, not boring and mechanical. You may have learned all your scales and modes before, but these exercises have you practicing and playing them in new ways and in new position. Jaco also covers the use of chords, harmonics, playing in odd beat divisions, and plays a few solo songs that really put it all together with groove. All of the exercises are GREAT for helping you think-out-side-the-box.Aside from the exercises, the CD also contains some of the band-performed music found on the video and interview clips. Jaco talks about subjects like the importance of reading sheet music (a good reason why this book contains no tablature), how he became a bass player, and playing different musical styles. Considering this book/CD set has pretty much everything from the video and costs half as much, I'd actually recommend this product over the video itself."
Insight into Jaco's Technique from the man himself!
Evan Mcgregor | New York | 01/26/2003
(5 out of 5 stars)
"This instructional book gives many exercises from Jaco himself. It has a cd that comes with it that helps out. It covers harmonics (has a chart) and ways to improve your left hand speed, precision, and clarity. The book itself is clear enough that you can use it to teach yourself. Though the book goes with the video (of the same name) so it's good to get both. Also, on the cd is a jam session with jaco and an interview. All in all it's a great value and no jaco collection is complete without it."
Track Listings (38) - Disc #1
