Introduction to jazz

[One Groovin Clown]

Alright heres the deal.

My guitarist is setting up a jazz band for a gig at a bar in a couple weeks.
Now, I've had minimal experience with jazz music and i want to get into the "swing" of things :p

What i am asking for is:
Very we'll known songs
certain scales best used with jazz
and any other information that would help in the preocess

[The jazz metal flum]

I'd be listening to your jazz standards like Herbie hancocks Cantaloupe island, chameleon and watermelon man, as well as stuff like take the a train, most miles davis and all the other small band cool jazz between the 30's and 60's. The basic thing is to learn and develop your circles of 4's and 5's as most jazz revolves around these progestions. I'd say know your majors and blues scales. Remember your blue notes and just go with the flow. Ultimatly treat it like one big jam, but have a few licks under your sleeve. its really easy, just don't get intimidated.

[White_Summer]

pick up a real book, and start playing songs out of it, listen to as much jazz as you can.as for the scales thing it really depends on the tune, but usually(i use this very loosely) you can get away with a bebop scale, blues scale, pentatonic(major or minor) scale, or a jazz minor scale. some pieces to check out, bassically any miles davis, charles mingus, john coltrane, etc pretty much anything you can find in the real book.

[Akira]

Really, you can get by with just arpeggios. Just be able to walk from chord to chord and you will be able to fake your way through the gig.

[White_Summer]

"just" being able to walk isnt such a simple thing...

[Polyamarous]

Walking bass lines, not that hard really.

[White_Summer]

its not that they are hard, just walking in general can be fairly difficult and takes a great deal of time and effort to be good at it. its not something you pickup in a few minutes

[Pluperfect_Arson]

Really, you can get by with just arpeggios. Just be able to walk from chord to chord and you will be able to fake your way through the gig.

There is a great lesson about walking lines and common misconceptions over at TalkBass.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/forumdisplay.php?s=&f=90&page=1&pp=30&sort=lastpost&order=desc&daysprune=-1

[whatdoyouknow]

"autumn leaves" is a well known jazz song. i personally like miles davis' version of it.

[HaVIC5]

Walking bass lines, not that hard really.
You see, when people say that, they seem to belittle the actually very complex and astoundingly intricate art of walking a bassline. Sure, faking a walking line is easy enough, I guess, but to anybody who has ears for jazz will know that it is a beginner line. The way that one interacts with the soloists/chordists in their line and the way they construct it requires much study, discipline and experience in order to do correctly and do hiply. Essentially what you'll be doing with walking lines is creating solos with they're own rising and falling actions in quarter notes.

[some jive turkey]

^
I'm a drummer not a bassist, but I agree. I spend a lot of time listening to jazz bass playing, and though I couldn't explain the difference, I can usually tell the difference between someone whose stumbling around, and someone who's really laying it down in a cool way.
There are some guys I know who are like "that walking stuff is so easy", but they don't seem to play it with much conviction.

[iceman3019]

i had to write walking basslines to some jazz standards for a class project last year. what i really got out of it was the realization that the saxes, trumpets, trombones, etc. followed me as much as (if not more than) the drummer (we had an inexperienced drummer). they not only rely on you for chord changes, but also timing. i found that the most effective lines spliced the two together. and remember, less is more. you will be tempted to write crazy chromatic lines, but when your bandmates start to complain :evil: . . .

[Akira]

"just" being able to walk isnt such a simple thing...

But he has a gig in a couple weeks. He isn't going to able to walk a bassline like a pro in that time. He's going to sound like a beginner no matter what.
Walking can be extremely complex, of course. But in the time he has I think he should just memorize arpeggios, buy a book on beginner walking, and fake it the best he can.

[thelowsoundofbass]

But he has a gig in a couple weeks. He isn't going to able to walk a bassline like a pro in that time. He's going to sound like a beginner no matter what.
Walking can be extremely complex, of course. But in the time he has I think he should just memorize arpeggios, buy a book on beginner walking, and fake it the best he can.

I agree, unless he is a crazy mofo that can pick up anything in minutes. That is as far as he is going to get in a few weeks. I have been working on walking on an off for about 2 years and I can almost fake my way through a jazz song. Walking is a lot harder than most people think.

lowsound

[One Groovin Clown]

We'll it turns out I can't even play the gig anymore.

But thanks for all the recommendations, i've always loved the feel of jazz, i've just never really got into it.

Some say I picked up bass pretty quickly, so you never know.

[Akira]

We'll it turns out I can't even play the gig anymore.

But thanks for all the recommendations, i've always loved the feel of jazz, i've just never really got into it.

Some say I picked up bass pretty quickly, so you never know.

Well then, I would get a book on beginners walking bass lines and start learning the theory behind walking.
If you can, get a teacher. An experienced jazz bassist could teach you way better than you could teach yourself, obviously.

[thelowsoundofbass]

Well then, I would get a book on beginners walking bass lines and start learning the theory behind walking.
If you can, get a teacher. An experienced jazz bassist could teach you way better than you could teach yourself, obviously.

It is very true that there is a lot of theory behind walking, you also have to know your fretboard very well. A teacher is the best way to learn walking.

lowsound