Want to find a good book to learn to play jazz music on bass. I want to learn as many varieties of it as possible. Some blues would be nice too.
Any recommendations?
Any recommendations?
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Books for a jazz noob?
- Thread starter KingRazor
- Start date
well...i picked up a book from Musicians Institute Press on Building Walking Bass Lines as teaching resource ...it's solid for sure ...if you're trying to get into jazz, make sure you listen to lot's of standard stuff and immerse yourself in records ...it's a mistake to head into jazz studies from a theoretical perspective/ book study only....made that mistake as a young guitar player ..you need to get into the culture of the music and get it in your ears ...no ...i'm not saying become a heroin junkie like Charlie Parker ....
I see what you're saying, but I have no idea where to start. I'm 22 years old and haven't heard more than 1 or 2 jazz songs in my whole life. It's a completely foreign genre to me. I don't know hardly anything about it.
I want to learn though.
I understand where you're coming from: I'm 26 and had a similar experience with Jazz when I started (although I did have a much broader music experience outside of Jazz).
My recommendations for you: Building Walking Basslines by The Man (i.e., Ed Friedland
) and the Jamey Aebersold Play-Along books, with my recommendations for starting books probably being Vol 54 "Maiden Voyage" (which has a lot of simple and common jam tunes), Vol 1 "How To Play Jazz & Improvise" (Which has quite a good introduction to Jazz), and if you want to work on some blues then Vol 2, Vol 42 and Vol 57 are all great, or Vol 31 "Bossa Novas" if you're after a more Latin feel.These are all great places to start with jazz playing, but bear in mind Jazz is the genre that will really test your theory knowledge. I highly recommend it, but be ready for some real trying times.
Also, you can't learn a genre properly without listening to its music: Aebersold's has a good list of historically significant albums on page 9 of The Jazz Handbook.
Hope this helps and good luck.
RedLeg
Supporting Member
the jazz theory book- mark levine
the real book volume 6 bass clef
Listen to everything you can. Learn to play heads. Get the changes under your fingers.
P.S. The aebersold stuff is great; however I prefer band in a box these days so that I can make my own backing tracks.
the real book volume 6 bass clef
Listen to everything you can. Learn to play heads. Get the changes under your fingers.
P.S. The aebersold stuff is great; however I prefer band in a box these days so that I can make my own backing tracks.
I second the jazz theory book. Answers a bunch of questions That i had for years within the first two chapters.
just do a google search of Jazz Standards then start listening on youtube ...
you're looking for titles like:
Take the A Train
Satin Doll
Blue Bossa
Now's the Time
Autumn Leaves
Milestones
So What
Straight No Chaser
you'll be able to hear versions of these tunes recorded from anywheres from the 40's to today .....in many different types of instrument combos too.
try to listen to straight ahead sax, trumpet, bass, piano, guitar and drum combos ....often you might not get a guitar in the mix ...no big deal....
Great site for lead sheets. USC School of Music
For example: http://www.music.sc.edu/ea/jazz/Transcriptions/SoNice.pdf
For example: http://www.music.sc.edu/ea/jazz/Transcriptions/SoNice.pdf
The Mark Levine book is not specific to bass but is great for the theory.
I learned most of my lines by playing them. If you can get hold of big band charts and work through the dots you can see how standard jazz bass lines are constructed. Playing in a big band is a great way to improve your reading too.
For impro check out iRealB app. Hundreds of chord charts and it will play them so you can practice your improvising.
Good luck with it.
I learned most of my lines by playing them. If you can get hold of big band charts and work through the dots you can see how standard jazz bass lines are constructed. Playing in a big band is a great way to improve your reading too.
For impro check out iRealB app. Hundreds of chord charts and it will play them so you can practice your improvising.
Good luck with it.
You'll need to immerse yourself in the idiom. Search out Original Jazz Classics for CDs. Then listen, listen, listen. Then listen some more. Get a Real Book and play along.
if you want to play jazz learn how all the greats did, Transcribe, start playing with a few other people and listen to lots of jazz - it's hard work and you'll get frustrated but this is the secret to becoming a great jazz player. You'll learn more in 6 mnths of doing this than you would from any book.
I don't know much jazz, so it'd be nice to just have a "greatest jazz songs" list or something to listen to and transcribe. But I suppose I can just google that, so I guess my problem is solved there.
I don't know any jazz musicians either, so I don't know who I'd be able to play with. I'll probably just play on my own for now.
RedLeg
Supporting Member
Get any of the following Miles Davis albums Walkin/steaming'/cookin/relaxin' and transcribe the whole album both the walking and the solo's.
When you are transcribing the solo before you even start playing it on the bass make sure you can sing the whole solo - I use logic and burn a copy just the solo to a cd and my iPod and I just listen to the solo for a couple day before I start transcribing makes the process heaps quicker for me!
When you are transcribing the solo before you even start playing it on the bass make sure you can sing the whole solo - I use logic and burn a copy just the solo to a cd and my iPod and I just listen to the solo for a couple day before I start transcribing makes the process heaps quicker for me!
Reading is great for learning by example, but Jazz requires you to understand the theory beneath.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I downloaded this as text file back in college in the 90's. It's great over view / introduction for jazz history & theory
although it does dwell on 'play scale X over chord Y' formulas too much for my liking.
for practice I'd suggest a metronome and some chord charts, and explore constructing arpeggios and walking lines on the fly. Thankfully It's mostly quarter notes so you can focus on learning the shapes of scales/arpeggios/chromatics and how they flow into each other in various chord progressions.
[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]
I downloaded this as text file back in college in the 90's. It's great over view / introduction for jazz history & theory
although it does dwell on 'play scale X over chord Y' formulas too much for my liking.
for practice I'd suggest a metronome and some chord charts, and explore constructing arpeggios and walking lines on the fly. Thankfully It's mostly quarter notes so you can focus on learning the shapes of scales/arpeggios/chromatics and how they flow into each other in various chord progressions.
