Marek Bero’s New Book “Bass Reels” Delivers Epic Licks for the Social Media Era
Bass Gym author and No Treble contributor Marek Bero has returned with a new book through Bassline Publishing to get your fingers flying. Bass Reels – Epic Bass Licks for the Social Media Era expands on his Bass Gym series to include exercises to get attention online.
“The bass guitar is a truly unique instrument and its role in modern popular music is well-defined. About 400 years ago, the first basslines were born, and the evolution of instruments producing mesmerising bass frequencies began. We’ve come a long way since then, and we now live in an age where the bass guitar plays a major role not only in music, but also in the online world of social media,” the description explains. “In this book you will find thirty transcriptions of original compositions designed primarily for solo playing, with the aim of attracting attention on social media. However, there are no self-serving technical pieces or even circus stunts here. These compositions can be played solo, but all of the ideas and concepts are fully usable in wider musical contexts.”
The pieces in the book are based on fingerstyle, slap, and pick playing. To fit in with the digital world’s attention span, each exercise lasts between 45 and 90 seconds, making it longer than a simple drill, but not a fully fledged song. “This makes them ideal for players who want plenty of inspiration, but don’t want to learn whole songs or long etudes. Stylistically, the compositions are a mix of funk and alternative rock with occasional excursions into jazz or blues styles,” Bero explains.
Each song in the book is written in standard notation as well as tablature. They have some brief performance notes, but a link in the book also takes you to video performances of all the pieces with accompanying audio files for download.
Bass Reels – Epic Bass Licks for the Social Media Era is available now in paperback through Amazon.
In his time with No Treble, Kevin has met hundreds of amazing bassists and interviewed icons like Jack Casady, Victor Wooten, Les Claypool, Marcus Miller, and more. He's a gigging bassist performing jazz in Northern Virginia and bluegrass with The Plate Scrapers up and down the East Coast. Kevin appreciates all genres of music, from R&B to metal and everything in between. Connect with Kevin on Facebook and check his performance schedule on his website.
