I'm auditioning in a week for one of my high school's plethora of jazz bands (we have like, four or something). For the audition I need to be able to comp in various keys, walk in F blues, read/play some of their music, play a piece of my choosing, and then just improvise.

I can walk ok, as long as I start on the root for each new chord, and I can sight read music slowly. I think I'm going to play Autumn Leaves, if I can find the sheet music. Any problems?

Right now I'm just looking for tips and a little direction as to what/how I should practice and review before the audition, cause I really have no idea what they're really looking for. Can anyone help me out?

That song is very overdone

get a Real Book. Probably the best $40 a jazz player can spend

Are you a music major? If you aren't it will probably be really tough to get in as a bassist.

Are you a music major? If you aren't it will probably be really tough to get in as a bassist.

You usually don't pick a major in high school.

To the OP, if you play really solid time with a nice swing feel then you should be OK. Playing Autumn Leaves is fine, you can pretty much solo in G minor for the whole thing if you want to and it will sound OK as long as your time is good.

Playing your walking lines by starting on the root is great as long as you have good TIME.

The operative word here is TIME. Break out your metronome and set it to beats 2 and 4. In high school jazz band you're going to be playing a lot of Sammy Nestico tunes so your should work on your 4/4 walking and practice some 2 beat stuff.

Unless this is Garfield High School in Seattle then most HS Jazz bands have the bar set pretty low for the rhythm section. Most band teachers were not in that crowd in music school.

One of my college bass tutors said to me you need to have a pretty good excuse not to use root notes. Maybe start the tune playing in 2 then start walking the second time round the changes to show a bit of versitility.

Are you a music major? If you aren't it will probably be really tough to get in as a bassist.
Nope, no majors in high school buddy. Though I am in AP Music Theory. :)


To the OP, if you play really solid time with a nice swing feel then you should be OK. Playing Autumn Leaves is fine, you can pretty much solo in G minor for the whole thing if you want to and it will sound OK as long as your time is good.

Playing your walking lines by starting on the root is great as long as you have good TIME.

The operative word here is TIME. Break out your metronome and set it to beats 2 and 4. In high school jazz band you're going to be playing a lot of Sammy Nestico tunes so your should work on your 4/4 walking and practice some 2 beat stuff.


What would a "swing feel" feel like?

If I play Autumn Leaves and just like, walk up root 3rd 5th 7th on the beat, will I do fine? That is basically my entire understanding of walking bass. Oh and I need to comp in F blues. Same idea basically but with a blues progression, right?

What do you two mean by 2 beat stuff?

Have you heard swing 8th notes? Straight 8th notes sound like "chuka chuka chuka chuka" (very even and machine-like) while swing 8ths are "chuuu - kachuuu - kachuuu - kachuuu - ka" (feels like a lopsided wheel spinning). It's hard to describe swing feel in writing. Anyway, while you're playing quarter notes you need to be feeling those swinging 8ths inside. Also, lean into beats 2 and 4 (accent slightly) a little bit more than 1 and 3. This helps you swing more.

2 Beat is like playing half-notes. It's a more relaxed feeling but it still swings! Dun (click) Dun (click), Dun Dun Dun Dun, Dun (click) Dun (click), Dun Dun Dun Dun...

I would suggest going to the record store tomorrow afternoon and buying any CD from the Count Basie Band. Listen to those guys swing and listen to the bass player. You'll hear exactly what I'm talking about.


As far as walking on Autumn Leaves and F blues, no one ever got fired for playing roots and fifths as long as they were the most swingin' roots that were ever played!

You want to play in jazz band to learn. You don't have to know everything right now but if you have the feel down right you can play ANY notes you want and it will still groove.

Nope, no majors in high school buddy. Though I am in AP Music Theory. :)



What would a "swing feel" feel like?

If I play Autumn Leaves and just like, walk up root 3rd 5th 7th on the beat, will I do fine? That is basically my entire understanding of walking bass. Oh and I need to comp in F blues. Same idea basically but with a blues progression, right?

What do you two mean by 2 beat stuff?

Wait, I thought you were in AP music?

Anyway, the 1, 3, 5, 7 can work sometimes but will get old real quick. For Blues try 1, 3, 5, 6 . . . 7th for when descending sounds good. Get a copy of Todd Johnson's DVD on walking bass and also Ed Friedland's book on walking bass. These will help you a great deal. Then listen, listen, listen. Start with traditional blues (not jazz blues) by blues artists. You'll learn to walk a strong line and play changes (though not as complex as many jazz tunes). Get Ed Friedland's book on playing Blues bass.

The two beat stuff is basically playing on beat 1 and 3 in a 4 beat measure. Usually playing root, 5th in a measure that only has one chord but once you get more experience you can add more to this.

1 3 5 7 is one sequence of many that I use. I wouldn't base all of my lines off of one sequence like that. Try these out (L = leading note, a half step above or below the root of the next chord):

1 2 3 5
1 3 5 3
1 3 5 L
8 7 6 5
8 7 5 3
8 7 5 L

just to add a little variety.

Start out with 2 beat stuff (2 half notes), then work your way up to walking (4 quarters)


2 chords to a bar looks harder on paper, but it's actually very easy to fake. Just play the root of the chord, then a chromatic note a half step above or below the next chord. Example:



---F7-Dm7---Gm7--C7----F7---

G|---------|---------|------|
D|-3-1-0-4-|-5-----2-|-3----|
A|---------|---4-3---|------|
E|---------|---------|------|

Learn to sing the melody
Play roots and fifths as half notes and sing melody
Learn to walk the tune entirely in first and second positions
Be aware that you can play pedal tones under most of the tune
See my lessons on walking (and on this tune's changes) at activebass.com

Wow in my HS all 4 bands (jazz, pep, and concert) where the same 20 people, I was the bassist for all of them and when I started I couldn't read worth a damn and all I knew where a few RATM songs.

It amazes me that you have to do all that to get into a highschool jazz band...Jazz band was always the most fun though, the basslines where actually basslines, not tuba parts :P

It amazes me that you have to do all that to get into a highschool jazz band...Jazz band was always the most fun though, the basslines where actually basslines, not tuba parts :P

I don't have to do all that, but how well you manage to fake all of it determines which jazz band you get into, since we have 4.