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Jazz songs that I should expect to learn?

G

gfdhicool

Jun 8, 2012
134
0
#1
Well,my teacher ALREADY instructed us to learn 21st Century Schizoid Man (it's prog/jazz fusion) by King Crimson,and woah...I laughed because it's easy at first (just an octive) and then I was blown away by how the bass line and the drums lock on (it's pretty difficult,since the bass line keeps on changing).

What other songs should I learn so I can get into the mindset of a jazz player (I'm a newbie at Jazz btw).I learn songs by ear (I only use tabs if I'm stuck)
 
#6
gfdhicool said:
Well,my teacher ALREADY instructed us to learn 21st Century Schizoid Man (it's prog/jazz fusion) by King Crimson,and woah...I laughed because it's easy at first (just an octive) and then I was blown away by how the bass line and the drums lock on (it's pretty difficult,since the bass line keeps on changing).
Click to expand...

You may want to review the Isolated Bass Track. You'll probably stop laughing.

gfdhicool said:
What other songs should I learn so I can get into the mindset of a jazz player (I'm a newbie at Jazz btw).I learn songs by ear (I only use tabs if I'm stuck)
Click to expand...

If you want to "get into the mindset of a jazz player", you NEED to listen for MANY years. And while you are listening, learn to read actual music. Tabs are illegal in Jazz.

You might as well be asking how to learn the French language by looking at a picture book.

After doing the above two things (for several years), you just might begin to "get into the mindset of a jazz player".

Best of luck!
 
#8
Stick_Player said:
You may want to review the Isolated Bass Track. You'll probably stop laughing.



If you want to "get into the mindset of a jazz player", you NEED to listen for MANY years. And while you are listening, learn to read actual music. Tabs are illegal in Jazz.

You might as well be asking how to learn the French language by looking at a picture book.

After doing the above two things (for several years), you just might begin to "get into the mindset of a jazz player".

Best of luck!
Click to expand...

I can read music though,I should have mentioned that,I just use tabs on the internet because most sheet music isn't free and I'm not old enough to buy stuff online.I read tenor sax music and turn it into a bass part pretty much,so I'm set ;P.

I know,I'm using that video to learn the song,I'm 80% done with it (I just need to clean it up a bit,and I can play it).The intro really caught me off guard,since it's easy.The rest is crazy.

Yeah,I don't listen to jazz much so you're right,I should start :P,and yeah it'll take me a while (I've only been playing for about a year and 6 months)
 
#11
gfdhicool said:
I know,I'm using that video to learn the song,I'm 80% done with it (I just need to clean it up a bit,and I can play it).The intro really caught me off guard,since it's easy.The rest is crazy.
Click to expand...

Then write down - using music notation - Greg Lake's bass line. This is called a transcription.

Transcribe some Paul Chambers solos. Listen to Jimmy Blanton, Paul Chambers, Ray Brown, and on and on...

Learn to play the Double Bass WITH a bow. This step requires getting a qualified teacher.
 
#14
But to be all positive and everything, for a lot of what people refer to as "standards" (and not jazz standards), it's not so much "knowing" or "memorizing" or even reading as it is really being able to HEAR the melody and the harmony of the moment with enough clarity that you can respond musically, in your own voice. Knowing that you're in F, that the first chord functions as the tonic, that the next chord has root movement that goes a certain way, that it has a certain quality and function.
Even when you're reading, you have to be able to look at that melody line and "hear" it before you play it, to see a chord change and have that be an aural response, not an intellectual one.
 
#15
gfdhicool said:
I can read music though,I should have mentioned that,I just use tabs on the internet because most sheet music isn't free and I'm not old enough to buy stuff online.I read tenor sax music and turn it into a bass part pretty much,so I'm set ;P.

I know,I'm using that video to learn the song,I'm 80% done with it (I just need to clean it up a bit,and I can play it).The intro really caught me off guard,since it's easy.The rest is crazy.

Yeah,I don't listen to jazz much so you're right,I should start :P,and yeah it'll take me a while (I've only been playing for about a year and 6 months)
Click to expand...

If you haven't listened to much Jazz, you need to- it's far from the same as rock. The feel, changes, harmonies- it's all different. I wouldn't expect to flip a switch, mentally, and be able to hear pr play what you need to in order to be a convincing Jazz player.

It's both good and bad that you haven't played for a long time- good, in that you haven't developed a lot of bad playing habits and bad because you haven't heard a lot of Jazz before trying to play it. If you have a good ear, it should be easier than just trying to pick up on the tempo/feel/rhythm and harmonies.

How is the rest of 21st Century coming? I heard that one about the time it came out (1968) and I think I was 11 or 12 years old- I was clearly not up to that task.
 
#16
Ed Fuqua said:
But to be all positive and everything, for a lot of what people refer to as "standards" (and not jazz standards), it's not so much "knowing" or "memorizing" or even reading as it is really being able to HEAR the melody and the harmony of the moment with enough clarity that you can respond musically, in your own voice. Knowing that you're in F, that the first chord functions as the tonic, that the next chord has root movement that goes a certain way, that it has a certain quality and function.
Even when you're reading, you have to be able to look at that melody line and "hear" it before you play it, to see a chord change and have that be an aural response, not an intellectual one.
Click to expand...

Absolutely right! A lot of tunes move in really predictable ways (ii-Vs, I-VI-ii-Vs, etc.) and the more you become familiar with these movements the more you will see them in use over and over in Jazz Standards.
Here's pianist Dick Hyman's list of 100 songs:
Invalid Link Removed
 
#17
Yet another list floating around on the 'net:
Tune Score
1. Take the A Train 679
2. Autumn Leaves 635
3. What Is this Thing Called Love 619
4. Blue Bossa 613
5. Billie’s Bounce 606
6. Song For My Father 585
7. Straight No Chaser 585
8. All The Things You Are 574
9. Mr. PC 558
10. Just Friends 550
11. There Will Never Be Another You 542
12. Body and Soul 517
13. On Green Dolphin Street 509
14. Solar 496
15. Satin Doll 491
16. All Blues 485
17. There is No Greater Love 484
18. Oleo 471
19. Footprints 463
20. Cherokee 454
21. Watermelon Man 451
22. Recorda-Me 449
23. Freddie the Freeloader 448
24. Cantaloupe Island 447
25. Summertime 438
26. Four 434
27. The Girl from Ipanema 432
28. The Days of Wine and Roses 422
29. So What 412
30. Alone Together 411
31. Milestones 409
32. Doxy 408
33. My Funny Valentine 404
34. Now’s the Time 402
35. Softly as in a Morning Sunrise 399
36. Have You Met Miss Jones 395
37. Ladybird 390
38. Misty 386
39. Maiden Voyage 376
40. I Got Rhythm 373
41. Tenor Madness 382
42. Someday My Prince Will Come 370
43. Stella By Starlight 369
44. Killer Joe 358
45. Bye, Bye Blackbird 358
46. In A Sentimental Mood 354
47. Sugar 354
48. I’ll Remember April 339
49. C Jam Blues 334
50. Invitation 327
51. Night and Day 309 52. Blue Trane 308 53. All of Me 307 54. Giant Steps 303 55. Out of Nowhere 298 56. Little Sunflower 294 57. Blue Monk 275 58. Caravan 267 59. Donna Lee 256 60. A Night in Tunisia 249 61. Impressions 245 62. How High The Moon 242 63. Moment’s Notice 232 64. Perdido 231 65. Au Privave 228 66. I Love You 225 67. Confirmation 223 68. Take Five 222 69. Joy Spring 217 70. Rhythm-a-ning 216 71. Equinox 216 72. Ornithology 208 73. Work Song 202 74. It Could Happen to You 202 75. I Mean You 195 76. Tune Up 193 77. Sonnymoon for Two 192 78. I Thought About You 191 79. St. Thomas 186 80. Blues for Alice 178 81. Honeysuckle Rose 177 82. Bag's Groove 176 83. Well You Needn't 175 84. Sweet Georgia Brown 164 85. Scrapple from the Apple 160 86. Lazy Bird 156 87. Dolphin Dance 154 88. Round Midnight 150 89. Wave 144 90. My One and Only Love 144 91. Half Nelson 142 92. Anthropology 139 93. The Way You Look Tonight 138 94. Autumn in New York 133 95. In Walked Bud 133 96. Pent Up House 131 97. Countdown 130 98. Don’t Get Around Much Anymore 128 99. In A Mellow Tone 127 100. Beautiful Love 127
 
#19
1958Bassman said:
If you haven't listened to much Jazz, you need to- it's far from the same as rock. The feel, changes, harmonies- it's all different. I wouldn't expect to flip a switch, mentally, and be able to hear pr play what you need to in order to be a convincing Jazz player.

It's both good and bad that you haven't played for a long time- good, in that you haven't developed a lot of bad playing habits and bad because you haven't heard a lot of Jazz before trying to play it. If you have a good ear, it should be easier than just trying to pick up on the tempo/feel/rhythm and harmonies.

How is the rest of 21st Century coming? I heard that one about the time it came out (1968) and I think I was 11 or 12 years old- I was clearly not up to that task.
Click to expand...

I got Schizoid,our drummer just has to stop being a lazy ass (He doesn't want to come over so we can rehearse it).I learned it all by ear ;). Yeah.Jazz seems like a very difficult genre to get into,but is it kind of predictable like in rock/heavy metal music at times? Or is it crazy/improvision? I do play Tenor Saxophone in band as well,so I have been playing a few Jazz Pieces (I'm Playing Gustav Holst's Suite in F,etc). I wish I could get my hands on bass music,but for now I just use my ears.
 

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