The term “Riyaz" comes from India where it means the all-embracing art of practice, with all its associated ritual, discipline, teacher-mentorship and sheer hard work. There are countless stories about the superhuman dedication and energy put into Indian musicians’ practice regimes in order to achieve virtuosic levels of artistry.

Bass Riyaz takes a wholistic approach to the development of craft on the electric bass guitar. It is necessary and part of the course of this book to touch on the philosophical, psychological, and physical aspects necessary to master oneself and one’s instrument. I hope that Bass Riyaz serves not only as a reference book kept on your bookshelf, but as a workbook that is a companion in your practice room every day.

The broad range of topics contained herein are relevant to musicians of any instrument, and so I encourage non-bassists to dig into these concepts and see if the meaning of “Riyaz" comes through to them also.

Eight years in the making, this book is the culmination of years of teaching at University and also from my private studio. Begun in India and inspired from the rigours of studying Indian music, this book is 289 pages long. Over 87 pages of musical examples and dozens of illustrations and photographs support the text.

"Jonathan Dimond has put a lot of thought into this book. He covers a lot of ground practically and conceptually, and presents it all in a very organized fashion."
Reviewed by John Patitucci. (January, 2006.)