Easy jazz songs

[mithilsampat92]

I am learning to play the bass and I'm keen on learning it through the jazz way. Could you guys help me out with a few jazz artists/songs that have relatively easy bass lines for beginners?

[MalcolmAmos]

Originally Posted by mithilsampat92

I am learning to play the bass and I'm keen on learning it through the jazz way. Could you guys help me out with a few jazz artists/songs that have relatively easy bass lines for beginners?

The Real Book, sixth edition has hundreds of jazz songs.
Amazon.com: The Real Book -Bass Clef; Sixth Edition (9780634060762): Hal Leonard Corp.: Books

The vanilla book has chord progressions and then backing tracks on hundreds of songs as well. The Vanilla Book ---- Read what it has to say about being THE VANILLA BOOK. Keep it simple at first. Baby steps.

Pick the ones you would like to learn. Look at the sheet music and see if you are up to it. Some are easy and some are not. You decide which one.

Jamey Aebersold Jazz gets you the Jamey Aebersold Jazz catalog a must for jazz.

Here is Autumn Leaves with chords shown. autumn leaves jam track - YouTube Roots at first, when you can get just the roots in before the music goes off and leaves you - then add the five, R-5. When you can get that in comfortable then add the 3, yes the correct one. Build your bass line one tone at a time.

Basic Chords
Major Triad = R-3-5
Minor Triad = R-b3-5
Diminished Chord = R-b3-b5

7th Chords
Maj7 = R-3-5-7
Minor 7 = R-b3-5-b7
Dominant 7 = R-3-5-b7
½ diminished = R-b3-b5-b7
Full diminished = R-b3-b5-bb7

Leave the 9's, 11's and 13's for next year.


This site has Autumn Leaves where you can hear the bass line. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wsxDO...eature=related

This video pulled it into perspective http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g35zS1tVO3o it need not be complicated, less is more most of the time. Follow the chord changes and root on 1.

It's a journey, expect it to take the rest of your life.

Have fun.

[Ed Fuqua]

And just to touch on something that is different about this music. Unlike rock or pop or classical, it's not so much about learning a "part". For instance, you can take the bass part of SMOKE ON THE WATER or The Trout Quintets and, if you learn that, get togther with people who hve learned the drum part or viola part (and all the other instruments) and stomp it off and pretty much be able to get through the composition.
But in jazz, what you get is the melody and the harmonic framework, and you pretty much have to hear something internally with enough clarity that you can play it.
In Malcom's example of AUTUMN LEAVES, if you try to play the Sam Jones bass line (from SOMETHIN ELSE) and the piano player is playing the piano transcription from Bill Evans PORTRAIT IN JAZZ while the drummer is playing the drum part from the Hampton Hawes trio recording, then, as Jay Leonhart so sagely states, there's gonna be trouble.
BUT, as Malcolm also says, if you learn the way chords are spelled and can apply that knowledge to what you are seeing on the page (to start), then you can begin.
I would also suggest that you listen to as many different versions of songs that you want to play, to see how different musicians approach the same harmonic and melodic material.

[Ed Fuqua]

Oh and I would be remiss if I didn't also suggest this.