Bernhard Lackner Releases “Keep Grooving Vol. 1”

Get ready to sit in the pocket! Bassist and educator Bernhard Lackner has just released a new book called Keep Grooving that features 10 play-along tracks for beginner and intermediate levels.

“Last year I thought it would be really nice to write some new tunes with the focus on ‘easy to play bass lines’ but at the same time also focus on the quality of composition,” Lackner writes. “So… with this concept in mind, I composed 10 new and fun to play songs with fairly basic bass parts featuring many fantastic players such as Marco Minnemann, Pete Lockett, Derico Watson, and many more.”

Each song covers a different style: soul/rock, funk/R&B, Bossa Nova, pop, and more. They are written out in tablature and notation. Lackner also includes a play-along track with the full arrangement as well as mixes without the bass. Aside from good grooves, many of the songs have vocal parts, which is unusual for educational books. It only adds to the fun of playing along.

Although the bass lines are mostly rudimentary, as Lackner points out, the no-bass mixes of the play-alongs give you more freedom to experiment with adding your own ideas once you’ve mastered the original line. As such, it’s a great set of music to learn and grow from.

Keep Grooving is available now through Hudson Music for $12.99.