Beginners guide to learning musical Instruments - A KF Community Project

[Butwhythough2]

For beginner bassists I will recommend:
Bass Guitar for Dummies by Patrick Pfeiffer.
I've got a first edition, I got mine 20 years ago. So I don't know how much has been changed between editions.

This book assumes that you know nothing of bass. It'll teach you the parts of the bass, how to clean and do basic repairs, and if you haven't bought a bass; it even includes a guide on what to look for when buying. It includes famous bass players and rythym sections as examples of who to listen to for their unique styles.
As far as teaching bass, the first few chapters are slow and may rehash things that you might know, but assumes that you know nothing about the instrument. The chapters pick up teaching music theory. The value of notes, how to keep rythym, how to play scales and modes, building your own fills, bass lines and, solos. Each genre of music gets a chapter dedicated to it. I would say it goes from straight beginner to intermediate. It'll get you far enough to know what you're doing with confidence and how to communicate your ideas with other musicians. Mine even came with a practice CD to play along with the examples in the book.

Don't let the name throw you off, it goes in to detail. So it'll help anyone just picking up the instrument.

 

[Vonel]

Anyone got a good book on how to play piano?
I know how to make chords and do scales but I have trouble making my hands play two different things at once. It's natural for me on bass and guitar, but piano it isn't.

You won't like this answer since you probably already know it but ear training and practicing behind the keys will do just as much if not more for you than an exercise book. I get where you are coming from as I moved over to piano after seven years of saxophone and it felt like I was smashing my head into a brick wall until I finally broke the habit of feeling the need to use both my hands on one thing.

You already have some degree of hand independence playing the guitar. Start with each hand independently then combine them, going as s l o w as you need to and increasing bpm as you get more comfortable(please be using a metronome). You will get it, you have to let your brain process what it's doing while forming these new neural pathways.

TLDR: go find a piece you like and study it, practice it, go practice again, and then when you are done you should practice more.

 

[Butwhythough2]

You won't like this answer since you probably already know it but ear training and practicing behind the keys will do just as much if not more for you than an exercise book. I get where you are coming from as I moved over to piano after seven years of saxophone and it felt like I was smashing my head into a brick wall until I finally broke the habit of feeling the need to use both my hands on one thing.

You already have some degree of hand independence playing the guitar. Start with each hand independently then combine them, going as s l o w as you need to and increasing bpm as you get more comfortable(please be using a metronome). You will get it, you have to let your brain process what it's doing while forming these new neural pathways.

TLDR: go find a piece you like and study it, practice it, go practice again, and then when you are done you should practice more.

You're probably right, because a workbook without a formal teacher, is kinda pointless.