Book Review - Play Bass With the Police

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I'm a great fan of people learning how to play bass to learn some basic technique and acquire some basic fingerboard knowledge and then apply that to some real world songs. But I'm also realistic enough to know that it's difficult for those new to learning how to play bass to work bass lines out for themselves from records. A lot of beginners use the tabs that proliferate on the Internet - often these are inaccurate or even plain wrong. Published books of transcriptions usually form a much better source of material for beginners to learn from.

One such book is Play Bass With The Police.

Now this book is published by Wise Publications and is easier to find in the UK and Europe than it is in North America. However you can find it - and if you're a beginner I do recommend that you make the effort to track it down and order it.

This book contains nine Police bass lines. They are notated out in standard music notation and bass tab. Additionally there is a CD that comes with the package that has versions of the track with the bass on - so you can hear how it is supposed to sound - and then also has a version of the track without the bass on so that you can play along in a reasonable simulation of a band setting.

The songs included in the book and on the CD are:

Can't Stand Losing You
Don't Stand So Close To me
Every Breath You Take
Every Little Thing She Does Is Magic
Message In A Bottle
Roxanne
Spirits In The Material World
Synchronicity II
Walking On The Moon

The book is presented in a soft binding. If you've read any of my reviews you know that I favour spiral binding for music books. Also another minor gripe, some songs are spread out over three or four pages so it's impossible to 'read' from the notation for a complete song.

The CD that comes with the package is well recorded - the instruments are well recorded and the standard of playing doesn't let the tunes down.

I recommend this book/CD package for beginners learning how to play bass because although Sting's bass lines are often easy, they very often contain interesting little rhythmic quirks, or interesting choices of notes. These reflect his background both as a jazz musician and a song writer (and a detailed working knowledge of harmony and how chords function).

The advantage of this book over the other Police bass lines book that is out there is the CD and the playalong aspect. This book gets a 4 star rating, and is recommended for beginners and low intermediates.

If you want to learn how to play bass to 10 songs head over to my website at http://www.how-to-play-bass.com/ and subscribe to my free monthly ezine. You can instantly download PDFs with notation and bass tab to 10 songs in return for subscribing. Plus there are how to play bass videos, articles, reviews and tutorials and more.

Michael In Foreverland - A New Tribute Book on Michael Jackson's World

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These three words: Michael In Foreverland - are all over the Google and Yahoo Search Engines. A story about Michael Jackson's extraordinary life. A life full of adventures and wonderment.

Michael Jackson was a True Humanitarian who truly cared about Planet Earth, the Animals and Children. He envisioned his World to be as he created his World and shared it with only those who BELIEVED!!

Michael Jackson's Earth Song was like the Avatar movie, where the Navi people were very sad when their Home Tree was destroyed. They were brave and fought to the very end. Even the Animals fought back to save their land.

If we all saw the World through Michael's eyes - we would see Beauty all around. A World of Peace, Love and Harmony. Michael loved to laugh and smile. He was curious about the World around him and had a childlike enthusiasm for life that most of us lose when we grow up into Adulthood. He loved Disneyland, for his world was much the same.

Michael's closest friends that stood by him and who believed in him were Elizabeth Taylor, Brooke Shields and Lisa Marie Presley.

In Michael In Foreverland, you will take a journey into Michael's World and get a glimpse of his Genius Mind. Michael believed in legends and fairytales. He loved to read books and to watch old classic movies with Humprey Bogart.

And although Michael Jackson is no longer with us, he will live in our hearts forever. Michael will stay young forever and live forever in "Michael In Foreverland." The World is a better place because of the contributions that he made through his songs.

The British Invasion: 1963-1969

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In 1963 rock 'n' roll was, well...rolling right along. But very soon, almost overnight it seemed, a wave of change was about to take place. From across the Atlantic in merry-old England, rock 'n' roll had gained a foot-hold and the epidemic had infected British youth all throughout the United Kingdom. The sound was very similar in many ways, but there was something different, something more grown-up about it. Whatever it was, American kids, (especially girls), jumped all over it. At first, just a unique sound, this music, along with the bands that created it, would grow, evolve, alter, and forever effect pop music. This musical movement would create new genres of music and influence thousands.

Four lads from Liverpool, England, "The Beatles", led the way and would be at the fore-front of it all. Not only of other British bands but of the entire musical arena through the '60's and into the '70's. Songs like 'Please, please Me', 'I Wanna Hold Your Hand', and 'Hard Days Night', had teenage girls swooning, crying and fainting. Not since Elvis Presley, with his great-looks, unmistakable voice, and gyrating hips, was there such a spectacle. The older folks were properly disgusted but could do nothing. The Beatles, along with bands with names like "The Zombies", "The Animals", "The Kingsman", "The Hollies", "The Kinks", and the "Rolling Stones", had taken the U.S. by storm. Then there were the songs, tunes like the Hollies melodic, 'Bus Stop' and the fast-paced, hard rocking, 'You Really Got Me', by the Kinks were giving fans more of a variety in the their choice of style, which led to the growing appeal. In 1965, lead guitarist for the Rolling Stones, Keith Richards, hit 15 unforgettable guitar cords at the start of 'Can't Get No,(Satisfaction), and a No. 1 classic was born. The song was also an example of how more sexually explicit lyrics were becoming.

The Rolling Stones were a prime example of bands that were starting to follow this pattern. Not just the Brits though. American band, the "Doors" with lead singer, Jim Morrison at the helm were considered very racy. And Morrison's onstage antics were becoming something of legend, getting him arrested at a few shows.

Besides a moral curve, America was changing fast, 'growing up' so to speak. Of course, growing pains came with this in the form of the sudden death of a young and popular president, an often violent civil rights movement, an unpopular war, and a growing distrust in the government. Bands like the Beatles and the Hollies, who had started out as youthful and kind of giggly, were now grown-up and singing about the issues of the day. The Who's smash, 'My Generation', spoke to the ever-growing gap between the younger hip generation and the old fogies, who refused to let go of their old ways. The Beatles 'Revolution', was a glaring anti-government and anti war anthem. The British invaders were beginning to branch out into different directions. The Beatles on a more self-aware, love yourself and others theme, while the Rolling Stones went their way toward a harder sound. Right at the close of the '60's, a late arrival to the invasion would appear with a hard rock and psychedelic sound that would appeal to present and future lovers of this hard driving sound. The group was Led Zeppelin. With high-noted and charismatic lead singer Robert Plant, and guitarist Jimmy Page at the helm, Led would entice and delight with sexy and off the wall lyrics and yes....that unmistakable sound that got your attention and would not let go.

So alas, the music that came to us from across the pond and the artist that brought them, delighted us, made the girls scream, changed the music, and influenced present, future, musicians and artist. Oh, and yeah, maybe corrupted us a little along the way. It came, conquered, and never left. Probably never will.