An exceptional private instructor would help you beyond belief, but if your going DIY:
Step 1: Find some Jazz that you like, literally anything and listen to that. Actually listen, not like on your phone while you post on Talkbass.
Step 2: Learn some songs. I would start with songs featuring repetitive grooves rather than walking lines, just to get you in the groove and playing tunes quickly.
Take Five
Equinox
All Blues
Songs for My Father
FootPrints
St. Thomas
Maiden Voyage
Step 3. Part 1
Learn 12 Bar Jazz blues.
First Play Root notes along with the chord changes in a 2 feel (playing on Beats 1 and 3. Feel free to alternate between root and fifth once you’ve got the roots down.
Step 3. Part 2
Start working on walking lines. Start by playing just the root notes as quarter notes and once you’ve got that down, start to mix in approach notes (played on the 4th beat of the measure leading to the next root note) try playing half steps above, then below, then try fifths, sixths, and sevenths.
Step 4. Learn waking bass lines. Let’s face it, no one just comes up with incredible walking lines. Like every other genre you need to build vocabulary before you can hold it down. There is a series of books called “walking in the footsteps” that are transcriptions completed by Rob Gourlay of the best walking bass lines by the best bassists of there time. They can get a little tricky to follow at times because they don’t all start at the head (some do while others start when the solos start). The book labels chorus’s as A, B, C meaning if you memorize just one of those you’d have a walking line to play the entire time. These are an invaluable tool, play these a TON.
This link is for his Sam’s Jones book which features some common standards you’d likely start with:
https://www.amazon.com/Walking-foot...XR38XY0MBA1&psc=1&refRID=J7PSSNNTDXR38XY0MBA1
Step 5: Start learning easy melody’s by ear. Autumn Leaves, All Blues, Freddie Freeloader, etc.
Step 6: Play the melody on bass and then play your memorized walking pattern and repeat.
I could add more steps but that’s honestly plenty to start with. I wouldn’t even think about solos until you’ve got everything above going strong.
best of luck!!!
