Search - Billy Sheehan: Basic Bass (Book and DVD) on DVD

This guy can teach

Franco James | Chicago | 07/10/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"I was apprehensive in buying this dvd because i'm not into much of billy sheehan's music. but as the title suggests, its just the basics of bass.

after playing bass for more than 30 years he doesnt seem to lose touch of what it means to be a beginner, unlike other instructional dvds i've seen that just blow past things assuming you know them, when you dont.

He pretty much assumes you know nothing - which is good. i've been playing for 8 months, i still found it helpful to get a different beginning perspective; and i've already gone back and fixed some bad habits.
another thing that makes this easy to watch and learn from, is that sheehan is pretty humble about his playing and what he knows about bass. by doing this he takes away a lot of the mystery of the instrument and really makes it seem like anyone can do it.

i didnt have any expectations about the dvd, but i was very surprised at what i got out of it."

Good solid tutorial DVD for beginners

Paul Wolfe | London, UK | 02/04/2009

(4 out of 5 stars)

"Billy Sheehan has produced a solid, informative DVD for bass beginners.

There are some really helpful tips in this DVD - take particular note of the section where Billy talks about strap length. THIS IS THE BIGGEST MISTAKE MOST OF THE BEGINNERS I TEACH MAKE - they practice sitting down and haven't got their strap set up right, so when they stand up at a jam all the angles of their hands change and suddenly they wonder why things that they could nail when they were practicing (sitting down) are suddenly much harder now they're standing up!

There's some sections on left hand and right hand technique - including a look at Billy's infamous three finger right hand technique, which maybe should have gone in the Advance Bass DVD package? Billy also talks about scales - and looks at learning a scale 'modally' (ie in every location on the bass). Now doing that learning will definitely help, I think most beginners just wanna learn some basics and play through some tunes. And Billy does touch on how to create basslines, but perhaps could have spent some more time on really looking at the basics.

If you're a beginner, or newly started, it's definitely worth checking out. Oh, and Billy even does a short bit on slapping - did you know Billy could slap?"

Outstanding Tutorial

Go Flight | NY | 03/25/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Billy Sheehan is a tremendous bass player and I really didn't know what to expect. Normally artists show off for an hour or so and call it a lesson.
Not Billy, when he says Basic Bass, he means it. He takes it right from "Okay, this is a bass" and leads you on a number of lessons building skill and confidence. He never shows off and his teaching style is as if he's your buddy sitting in the same room with you.
I think even people that already know how to play will get something from some of the lessons as he concetrates on the fundamentals that may never have been learned or forgotten. Highly recommended."

Not worth it!

Fried Turkey | 08/30/2008

(1 out of 5 stars)

"The book is bad but the DVD is terrible. I am guitarist wanting to get better at bass. If I wasn't experienced I would have be have been completely lost. For instance after hardly explaining anything Bill launches into a very complex bass line that includes a hammer-on. The funny thing is that he never explains how to do a hammer-on or what it even is. The only thing I got out of this whole set is the three finger plucking which was interesting and helpful. But I wouldn't recommend for a beginner to do three finger plucking so it is kinda bizarre that it is in the "Beginner" book and DVD.

Bill doesn't stress any kind of fundamentals and proper playing technique. His teaching is to tell you "there are no rules and find what works for you." Did I need to pay $25 for that?

Billy doesn't follow a script so he is just making it up as he goes along and sometimes circles back a few steps. Most of the time it seems like he is filling time saying the same thing over and over again. My favorite part is when he takes 15 minutes to explain the difference between "bass", "mid", and "treble" on an amp. I think anybody who has ever operated a car stereo understands the concept.

Save your money. Don't buy this unless you want to buy my copy I am immediately putting up on Ebay."