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What's my first step to learn jazz?
- Thread starter DoctorZee
- Start date
^^This. Also, be cut-through-the-BS honest with yourself about your interest. If you are just looking to mine a genre for all it's worth to be a better player, you've come to the right place. Jazz has it all in terms of harmonic, melodic, and rhythmic richness. It's perfectly ok if you are just in it for what it can do for your playing. It's kind of an unspoken joke that there are thousands of bass players that can play most of Jaco Pastorious' catalog, but the number of Jaco songs they listen to just for enjoyment can be counted on one hand with fingers left over. I'm that way with Kind of Blue, the greatest jazz album eh-VAH. I'm trained to know and appreciate its greatness, but when I put it on just for the heck of it guess what? I dip out in about ten minutes. I think part of it is like the guy who works in a pizza shop and can't stand the thought of pizza when he comes home. Part of it is like forcing yourself to eat brussel sprouts because you know they are good for you.
Really, in the beginning the interest was affectation. I was the people described Link Removed (a hilarious must-read imho). Funny thing is, once I admitted that, I found it easier to enjoy it for its own sake. If you know all that up front, it can save you from wheel-spinning in the mud.
learning more about theory ... chords/scales .. which scales to play over which chords ... then finding the leading/passing tones in between ... once you'd learned all that - forget it .!
rule #1 ... there are No rules
rule #1 ... there are No rules
You need a hat. The jazz standard is the pork pie hat. Once you have that everything else will happen automatically.
buldog5151bass
Kibble, milkbones, and P Basses. And redheads.
A real book is a great investment. Listen to the tunes as you follow along, and start o learn more about the chord structures and changes. A jazz blues often has a more complex chord structures. That's a good way to start. Find a teacher who plays jazz. Tell him/her where you are, and where you hope to go.
Also, unlike rock, musicians seldom try to copy a recording. The same song can be played in a multitude of styles, tempos, etc. And once the players go from the head (the basic song) into taking solos, all bets are off.
Also, unlike rock, musicians seldom try to copy a recording. The same song can be played in a multitude of styles, tempos, etc. And once the players go from the head (the basic song) into taking solos, all bets are off.
For me Jazz was like the first time I ever sipped black coffee or dry red wine. "How in the He!! does anyone like this crap!!" But the more I hung with my musician friends, the more I got used to it and eventually respected it and loved it. Like anything there are certain styles and players I don't care for but that's what makes the world go round.
IMHO to really get started you need to know your scales, keys, 7 chords, and how to read and interpret standard chord notation. Eventually you will probably want to explore modes and harmonic analysis as well.
I started off reading written parts and learning to play along note for note with recordings before I had an understanding of music theory, or how to read and interpret chord notation. For two years in high school I was able to play in a college-level big band with these substandard skills, but learning my parts was very time consuming, because a lot of the music included chord notations. The music director basically provided recordings of the arrangements for me to transcribe and memorize. Although I learned the recordings note for note, I did not perform note for note transcriptions.
I took the first three semesters of classical theory in college and bought the Real Book fifth edition before entering. The college classes gave me the necessary foundation to understand all the theory I needed, but did not explain the various chord notation rules used in lead sheets. I had mentors to help with that.
Through continuous self-study I eventually become a fairly competent touring pro on string and electric bass. I never took any jazz theory lessons, but I had a lot of help along the way and banged on a piano a lot to figure stuff out on my own. I used the Real Book regularly in my job and also regularly played in big bands. The Real Book work required me to solo on a regular basis.
If you have the theory and technique down. You need to listen to jazz, transcribe jazz, and work through jazz. Jazz tends to modulate continuously, so you may need to slow down and analyze what is going on, and then piece together the notes you want to play way below performance tempo. Overtime, work the tempo up till you can play it faster than the music is normally played. After you develop some repertoire, seek opportunities to sit in a play with others. When you become competent, you will be able to sight read most pieces at or near performance tempo, but sometimes an unusual progression with altered changes will require you to really slow down and work through the changes.
Although I never took them, I think theory-focused bass lessons would be very helpful. When you are first starting out, I would recommend working with a bassist who has a strong background in jazz, because a bassist will will have a better understanding on how to make a walking bass line. Later, if your focus turns to advanced soloing, you can take lessons from any jazz musician. Seeing the music from a different perspective is probably even best once you reach a certain level of development.
You can be accomplished 'specialized' into certain genres and at the same time being oblivious to other genres. We call that 'tunnel vision' I believe. I suffer from that myself and still havent been cured from it.
+1 to everything said here. Get the real book and several recordings of every song in it(YouTube is free) and listen, most of all listen to what you are playing. Does it sit in nicely when I'm in a support role? Am I helping to move the tune along without being too pushy? Can I find my voice in a solo without speaking Chinese when everyone else is playing Portuguese? Happy journey.
First step: Listen to jazz
A good swing feel cannot be taught or notated on the page. You have to have it in your head before you can reproduce it on the bass.
It's the same with improvisation. You have to hear the lines you want to play before they can convincingly come out in your playing. Otherwise, you're just plugging in scales, arpeggios, and intervals, over chord changes.
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A good swing feel is a very useful thing - although jazz folks may think it’s exclusively a jazz thing; it’s very useful in many other genres of music. Likewise with improvisation - having lots of options that will fit in any situaion makes you more versatile everywhere. Crafting an original bass line involves a certain degree of improvisation.
Doc, do you read? I don’t recall a reference to you skill level in reading charts.
If you want to play jazz out, with a group or jam session, I would suggest that learning to read and follow a chart is imperative.
If you already do read, then I second the suggestion of getting a real book, or finding a few charts and recordings to go along with, then play and follow along.
If you want to play jazz out, with a group or jam session, I would suggest that learning to read and follow a chart is imperative.
If you already do read, then I second the suggestion of getting a real book, or finding a few charts and recordings to go along with, then play and follow along.
Teacher for sure. Either in person or online.
I signed up with John Patitucci a few months ago. There is a fair amount of leg work in the early stages mapping out triads, scales and arpegios but this soon leads in to some etudes where you start to hone your jazz chops and ears.
If your mulling over the idea and want to try plaYing a few cool arrangments then this Truefire course has a few cool tunes with backing tracks. You learn to play a typical half time feel then into a walking bass over Autumn Leaves, Jazz Blues as well as a bunch of other funky and latin feels.
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But once you’ve learned these you might be able to run with the ideas and concepts or else you can then get a teacher.
I signed up with John Patitucci a few months ago. There is a fair amount of leg work in the early stages mapping out triads, scales and arpegios but this soon leads in to some etudes where you start to hone your jazz chops and ears.
If your mulling over the idea and want to try plaYing a few cool arrangments then this Truefire course has a few cool tunes with backing tracks. You learn to play a typical half time feel then into a walking bass over Autumn Leaves, Jazz Blues as well as a bunch of other funky and latin feels.
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But once you’ve learned these you might be able to run with the ideas and concepts or else you can then get a teacher.
Listen, listen, listen to real jazz. (not fusion or blues.) become familiar with American song book and Jazz standards. Do these appeal to you on a deep level? Yes? Continue to learn theory, get Real Books, hang with jazz pianists, horn players etc. read about jazz and jazz history, get lessons from jazz guys. Does the music not appeal to you? No? Look elsewhere for satisfaction.
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There isn't a single first step. There is no reason you can't start listening while you are looking for a teacher. Can you teach yourself, of course given enough time, but a good teacher will help you get up to speed exponentially faster than trying to do it by yourself. Yes, you can (and should) transcribe great bass players, but if you know why you are playing something, it's much easier to apply it in a different context. If you don't already know them, you need to learn chords and scales and theory; a good teacher will be able to provide a road map, give you accountability and feedback so you know you are moving in the right direction.
Good luck.
Good luck.
