Besides the obvious studying new scales, what would be some of your first steps if you were attempting to convert to Jazz?
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Converting from Rock and Metal to Jazz
- Thread starter Leaviathan
- Start date
Follow the chords and play a full chord tone, For example Cm7= R-b3-5-b7. Keep at it until you can get the full four notes in before the tune goes off and leaves you. All that while keeping the beat the drummer is laying down.
Kinda helps if you know the "spelling" on all the chords you may run up on. Start with roots and work up from there.
Kinda helps if you know the "spelling" on all the chords you may run up on. Start with roots and work up from there.
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I think these are great resources, very beginner friendly:
Walking Bass Lessons – More Than Jazz Lessons
https://www.amazon.com/Mel-Walking-Jazz-Lines-Bass/dp/0786659963
Also learning common Jazz chord symbols, and the scales and arpeggios they imply:
https://www.jazzbooks.com/mm5/download/FREE-scale-syllabus.pdf
Walking Bass Lessons – More Than Jazz Lessons
https://www.amazon.com/Mel-Walking-Jazz-Lines-Bass/dp/0786659963
Also learning common Jazz chord symbols, and the scales and arpeggios they imply:
https://www.jazzbooks.com/mm5/download/FREE-scale-syllabus.pdf
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- Dec 13, 1999
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- Chuck Sher publishes my book, WALKING BASSICS:The Fundamentals of Jazz Bass Playing.
Forget about "new scales". Start listening to the music, and not just the bassists. Start hearing how the language sounds. There's not a lot of overlap in the music you've been playing and the rhythmic and melodic vocabulary in jazz, so you need to start getting how that sounds in your ears.
People skills. Jazz has a totally different scene to it, with totally different manners. If they feel your vibe, they'll play with you.
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Some basic theory study is needed.
Learn how to "walk"over a II-VI-I progression for one.
Learn how to "walk"over a II-VI-I progression for one.
Give me a call 615-594-1595. The call is free, the information is too much to type. 40 years experience and can answer all of your questions.
Regard your playing as a shift from rhythmic playing to melodic. (yea, that's a bit of an overstatement, but it's true).
Also, your source of information is the concept of the music and not the recorded version. (that one takes a while to embrace)
Also, your source of information is the concept of the music and not the recorded version. (that one takes a while to embrace)
I went through the same evolution. Listening a lot really helps, get the chord tones, progressions and melodic movement burned into the brain. Understand how chords are constructed, think melody and chord tones vs scales. Looking at the circle of 4ths also helped me, it moves in 2-5-1 patterns...a very common movement in jazz standards.
May sound trite, but learn a lot of jazz tunes. Jazz study can easily send you down rabbit holes of concepts and theory. Never forget the Jazz is improvising on melodies. What looks like "what can I play over these chords? " should really be "how can I embellish / support this melody?" spend at least as much time learning the melodies of standards as you do wandering the various theory rabbit holes.
Listen to the music, a whole lot. From early 1900's right up to the present day. I actually find not a lot of jazz musicians have a great understanding of the music pre-bop. Without sounding like a very famous trumpet player I think there are a lot of fundamentals and traditions that get overlooked by viewing the music from the mid 40's onward.
This is really good technical advice. Sometimes you'll notice the "key" is pretty fluid, but so long as you follow the chord tones you'll drop right into whatever the melody and piano are doing.
Another thing you have to learn is chromatic walking for "jump blues" pieces. It can seem counter intuitive to what you're used to doing, but once you get a feel for how to walk chromatically, a whole new world will open up for you.
Also, study as many Afro-Cuban rhythms as you can whenever you get a chance to. A lot of jazz gigs and sessions I pick up seem to include Sambas, Bossa Novas, etc. Maybe it's because I'm in Florida, but BLs around here love dabbling in Latin Jazz.
I came up in the late 90s playing punk and hardcore music, so I have a similar background as you. You really need take a lot of the conventions you've learned playing metal and hardcore and shelve them when getting a handle on jazz - it's way different. Good luck and keep at it. You will encounter and learn from some serious talent in jazz circles. Listen, be respectful, and be humble. If you do that and have good chops, you'll go far. Also, learn to read music - it's damn near a must.
Something else to consider is your tone. Consider using flatwound or tapewound strings to get a tone a little closer to that of an upright bass.
- Apr 1, 2000
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As suggested, listen to the music.
I’d recommend starting to find familiar standards sung by favorite vocalists ... Sinatra ... Ella, et al.
Then find instrumental versions of those standards and enjoy the different approaches & arrangements.
It’s a huge rabbit hole but definitely worth the leap.
I’d recommend starting to find familiar standards sung by favorite vocalists ... Sinatra ... Ella, et al.
Then find instrumental versions of those standards and enjoy the different approaches & arrangements.
It’s a huge rabbit hole but definitely worth the leap.
Watch Scott's Bass Lessons free videos on beginner walking basslines #1 and #2. You really can pick it up pretty fast with the advice he gives.
Every jazz teacher and advisor (as well as Jamey Aebersold jazzbooks.com and many of those who’ve already responded here) emphasizes that you need to listen to good jazz players. If you’re going to learn you need to LISTEN, not merely have jazz playing in the background while you do something else.
Go to jazzbooks.com and scroll to the bottom where you see FREE JAZZ and download the Jazz Handbook PDF. It’s free and it’s truly the jazz rabbit hole.
Go to jazzbooks.com and scroll to the bottom where you see FREE JAZZ and download the Jazz Handbook PDF. It’s free and it’s truly the jazz rabbit hole.
