Developing a good jazz bass practice routine

[Fassa Albrecht]

I am just wondering what the jazz guys on here do with regard to practice sessions.

I'm asking this because I find myself getting increasingly frustrated with practice sessions as I feel hugely overwhelmed by all the things I would like to practice, in addition to the usual reading over real book standards, transcribing, listening to bands and recordings and working on my own material.

So, what to do?

[Clef_de_fa]

well here ... jazz is like too much ... you will have to go over the DB side to see what to do.

I have played a lot of jazz during ma college degree and you choose a standart, learn the theme, learn the chords, play walking bass.

[woolysock]

Yes, the possibilities are overwhelming... but you bite off a chunk and work at it. Another day, another chunk. A year later you are somewhere different and possibly better ;-)

What to do?

Set your metronome on 2 & 4 and make those Real Book changes groove, turnarounds in particular. When you can do that, musicians will hire you and listeners will dig you ;-)

Cheers!

[miltslackford]

Hi there

I took a while to start playing jazz bass. There's lots to do and the theory side is never ending. Personally I think it's a good idea to set priorities. If you pick tunes and make it a priority to be able to play them all the way through without losing your way then I think it's a good way round. If you encounter issues over certain chords you can always woodshed that aspect. But if you focus on tunes then the theory has a practical application rather than being an abstract thing. If it's too abstract then you never know whether you're able to use it, so you don't know for sure whether it's something you should revisit. I've found it's possible to get stuck at this point. Joining a band or hooking up with a friend to jam will also help because with backing tracks there's no pressure and I really think pressure accelerates the learning process because you need to get stuff to a certain standard. Also if you have to get 10 tunes ready for a band rehearsal or gig, you have to prioritise. And you'll tend to leave the parts you think you're ok at and focus on the bits which are going to make you come unstuck.

[iJazz]

Play your butt off with other people. Find a good guitar or piano piano player and a good drummer, pick a small set of standard tunes and jam 'till dawn as often as possible.

Repetition is the mother of learning. Working the same tunes over 'till smooth in a trio goes a long way to teaching you the the things you need to know that you'll never find practicing alone. Woodshed the theory and physical work individually, but making as much music as you can with others is the way to learn jazz.

Remember that jazz is a conversation between players as much as it is anything else.

[Blue]

Originally Posted by woolysock

Cheers!

Nice website.
http://www.woolysock.com

[Fassa Albrecht]

Cheers guys!

Originally Posted by iJazz

Play your butt off with other people. Find a good guitar or piano piano player and a good drummer, pick a small set of standard tunes and jam 'till dawn as often as possible.

Repetition is the mother of learning. Working the same tunes over 'till smooth in a trio goes a long way to teaching you the the things you need to know that you'll never find practicing alone. Woodshed the theory and physical work individually, but making as much music as you can with others is the way to learn jazz.

Remember that jazz is a conversation between players as much as it is anything else.

My major problem is that in the handful of times I've been with other jazz musicians, I have the misfortune/luck to end up with the old guys, the ones who've been playing for DECADES and as a result, I feel like a complete and utter noob because I a) can't follow what they're playing and B) can't understand WHY they're playing it.
That said, I've never been actively pushed out or treated badly for being such a noob.

[bassbrad]

Jazz is one of those things you never stop learning how to play, there is always some new approach. Working with older more skilled and knowledgeable musicians helped me to cut my teeth, you just have to keep your cool and learn from your experiences good and bad - there were lot's of not so great moments along the way. Being open to constructive criticism from other musicians willing to mentor was most beneficial*.

Personally I learn the melody and harmony of tunes that I regularly play not just bass lines, knowing melody and harmony informs my bass lines and helps me solo and work with soloists. Make your bass lines unique for every tune as tho they could stand alone with the melody and still be recognizable.

*When I was a jazz noob I was blessed to work in a piano trio with a former professional pianist and drummer (both teachers at the time), those guys were tough but it made me a better jazz player fast!

[Fassa Albrecht]

Originally Posted by bassbrad

Jazz is one of those things you never stop learning how to play, there is always some new approach. Working with older more skilled and knowledgeable musicians helped me to cut my teeth, you just have to keep your cool and learn from your experiences good and bad - there were lot's of not so great moments along the way. Being open to constructive criticism from other musicians willing to mentor was most beneficial*.

This is fair enough. Plus, I'm going to have to play alongside other musicians eventually, might as well play with some guys who know what they're doing and can tell me what I'm doing right or wrong.

Personally I learn the melody and harmony of tunes that I regularly play not just bass lines, knowing melody and harmony informs my bass lines and helps me solo and work with soloists. Make your bass lines unique for every tune as tho they could stand alone with the melody and still be recognizable.

Same here. I'm a guitarist too so I learn the melodies of songs anyway, but I find it interesting studying the relationship between the bassline and the melody and how they lock in together.
It's also served to make me a better musician in general too.

*When I was a jazz noob I was blessed to work in a piano trio with a former professional pianist and drummer (both teachers at the time), those guys were tough but it made me a better jazz player fast!

I'm hoping I can strike lucky in finding some regular guys to play some tunes with.