Really cool finger chart for bass guitards,Handy, and teaches you some nice chord progressions (you just follow the dots on the chart, and play them randomly, and create your own bass lick that way!)This book is a great resource for begining bass scales. It explains the thoery and practise rather well. As with the `first' book (if thats apropriate), Play Bass Guitar, it takes a great deal of time to understand what is being said without confusion. However, this time the book feels better layed out. All-in-all, it will help u understand bass scale theory, prehaps inprove your timing,while using the CD as a back up. + It contains jazz, rock, and other `styles' of scales. Therefore, hard to read at points, but worth a look.Despite the title, it is not for the beginner. It also can't make up its mind whether to use guitar tab, of standard five line notation, so unless you read the latter, bits will make little sense. Lastly, it is hard to keep open while you are using both hands to play the bass, so you either need to break the spine, or use something to hold it open (a music stand won't do as the book is so narrow).This is a very useful accompaniment to your learning library and very good for practicing scales for warming-up and getting your fingers and hands in shape.The book sits very easily on a music stand due to its shape - you can sit it in the middle of an open page on a music sheet - and it fits nicely inside my gig bag.The title of the book is "Beginning Bass Scales" - not Beginning Bass - i.e. it is a book for anyone beginning to learn Bass "Scales" not necessarily a book for anyone beginning to learn Bass, having said that I would say I was an advanced beginner when I bought the book and have found it very useful to learn about scales and scale structure that wasn't in the lessons I was having at the time.Don't be put off this book if you are an absolute beginner, as you will need to learn scales at some stage and this book will fit the job nicely.The clue's in the title- Beginning Bass Scales not beginning bass guitar- therefore it assumes some basic knowledge; a tad more than one end of the fret board from the other kind of thing.And it doesn't hang about- it moves through major scale theory, the circle of fifths, minor scales, past the modes (mixolydian anyone?), the blues with its minor pentatonics, its major thirds and flattened fifths and onto altered and diminished scales with an alacrity certified to petrify any tentative bass player.Then again it's not an arcane subject- it's the bass guitar. Anyone serious enough about putting the hours into learning the nuts and bolts of the world's greatest instrument and want to do more than simply plod along on the root note in vain hope of pulling the birds/blokes after a gig, getting to grips with the basics shouldn't prove a problem.Used in tandem with one of those scale books with bigger, easier to read diagrams and some basic music theory- information which can be found online- this book is a highly recommended and valuable source of information.If the methods of practice, style and technique exampled and which take up the majority of this book are followed religiously, within six months you will probably have more knowledge and better grasp of the bass guitar than many a successful musician.Lastly, You Tube is a good source of useful tips, tricks and general knowledge on all facets on playing this great instrument.Be inspired....It is well illustrated. Sows many different patterns, how to be used to play the bass , a theory introduction, but tottaly lack of exercises to work with the bookThis book does what it says on the tin.Recommend for those wanting to learn bass guitar techniques and scales.