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Best book for learning Jazz?


Bassjon
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Hey all,

Can anyone recommend a great book for building bass jazz chops from the ground up?

I have been following the Stephen Mooney books but they go from showing you the basics to jumping straight to songs made up of the choruses where the chords change every single time! Good for learning to read, but not great for chop building!

Is there a jazz book out there that that gives you one step at a time guidance on how to build your confidence in each key? eg - roots adding, thirds, fifths etc?

:rolleyes:

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Investigate Ed Friedland's books. (Gary Willis' too although they're more advanced.)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jazz-Bass-Ed-Friedland/dp/0793565170/ref=sr_1_6?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1418382982&sr=1-6

Also check out Scott Bass Lessons YouTube channel and his advice on books specifically here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KcnXcU-lEog&list=UUWTj3vCqkQIsrTGSm4kM34g

And finally to learn Jazz I'd say transcribe... a lot!

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Welcome to Jazz! Feel free to PM me if you ever have questions. Wondering what you mean by this:[i] "[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] to jumping straight to songs made up of the choruses where the chords change every single time![/font][/color]" [/i]?

I would recommend getting the absolute best teacher money can buy (even if you have to travel a bit), and listening to a lot of records. Start working on your ear straight away too - try to play along with records, and pick out chord progressions. Learn your intervals by ear, and practise playing melodies by ear.

You'll need a book on walking bass for starters. That's the most important part of your role as a bass player in a jazz setting. I learnt with this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Building-Walking-Bass-Lines-Builders/dp/0793542049

There are a few other books out there on walking bass that people recommend, but I can't personally vouch for them. I would focus principally on working through this book, as the techniques used in it are invaluable, and the chord progressions are of the sort that come up all the time and should be memorised (Blues, Rhythm Changes). Take it slow and really master each bit before you move onwards in the book, it's tempting to move onwards but you've got to internalise it all.

If you can only get one book, the walking bass stuff is most essential. Start just with that and practise some walking over standard chord progressions (there are play alongs on youtube).

You'll also need a decent book on theory, and this is basically the standard reference text, and is well worth getting (I'm always digging up new stuff in here): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jazz-Theory-Book-Mark-Levine/dp/1883217040


Other books that really will help are:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Putter-Smith-Improvisation-Muscians-Institute/dp/1423477715 (How to structure your practising, and how to get sounds a particular chord-scale relationships in your head)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Serious-Electric-Bass-Complete-Contemporary/dp/1576238830 (Will give you lots of ideas about shapes of various scales and arpeggios on the fingerboard)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Goldsby-Technique-Tradition-Musicians/dp/0879307161 (First half is biographies of great players, gives you an idea who to listen to - which is the most important bit of developing as a jazz player - and the second half is instructional. A "nice" book with a deceptively large amount of information)

If you're wanting to start soloing, David Baker's books on Bebop are excellent as a starter to that particular style too.

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[quote name='Hector' timestamp='1418383694' post='2629715']
Welcome to Jazz! Feel free to PM me if you ever have questions. Wondering what you mean by this:[i] "[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif] to jumping straight to songs made up of the choruses where the chords change every single time![/font][/color]" [/i]?

I would recommend getting the absolute best teacher money can buy (even if you have to travel a bit), and listening to a lot of records. Start working on your ear straight away too - try to play along with records, and pick out chord progressions. Learn your intervals by ear, and practise playing melodies by ear.

You'll need a book on walking bass for starters. That's the most important part of your role as a bass player in a jazz setting. I learnt with this: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Building-Walking-Bass-Lines-Builders/dp/0793542049

There are a few other books out there on walking bass that people recommend, but I can't personally vouch for them. I would focus principally on working through this book, as the techniques used in it are invaluable, and the chord progressions are of the sort that come up all the time and should be memorised (Blues, Rhythm Changes). Take it slow and really master each bit before you move onwards in the book, it's tempting to move onwards but you've got to internalise it all.

If you can only get one book, the walking bass stuff is most essential. Start just with that and practise some walking over standard chord progressions (there are play alongs on youtube).

You'll also need a decent book on theory, and this is basically the standard reference text, and is well worth getting (I'm always digging up new stuff in here): http://www.amazon.co.uk/Jazz-Theory-Book-Mark-Levine/dp/1883217040


Other books that really will help are:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Putter-Smith-Improvisation-Muscians-Institute/dp/1423477715 (How to structure your practising, and how to get sounds a particular chord-scale relationships in your head)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Serious-Electric-Bass-Complete-Contemporary/dp/1576238830 (Will give you lots of ideas about shapes of various scales and arpeggios on the fingerboard)

http://www.amazon.co.uk/John-Goldsby-Technique-Tradition-Musicians/dp/0879307161 (First half is biographies of great players, gives you an idea who to listen to - which is the most important bit of developing as a jazz player - and the second half is instructional. A "nice" book with a deceptively large amount of information)

If you're wanting to start soloing, David Baker's books on Bebop are excellent as a starter to that particular style too.
[/quote]

The John Goldsby book is excellent! The history of the development of jazz bass playing is fascinating and the lessons are well thought out.

Helped me out no end and by delving deeper into the players covered really made me fall in love with jazz in a big way.

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The Ed Friedland walking bass book that Hector recommended is a great one. However as you say you are starting from the ground up, IMO "Walking Jazz Lines for Bass" would be better to start with. Ed's book would be a good follow up.


http://www.amazon.co.uk/Walking-Jazz-Lines-Bass-Hungerford/dp/0786659963

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Wow, thanks everybody! The John Goldsby book is fantastic - if a little advanced.



Hector, I find those Mooney books put different chord substitutions in each chorus - sometimes the II-V secondary dominants, sometimes the tri-tones etc. I am looking to add the chord tones one at a time to get them in my head. I understand the idea of walking jazz, I just have trouble applying it!

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[quote name='Bassjon' timestamp='1418559876' post='2631124']

. I understand the idea of walking jazz, I just have trouble applying it!
[/quote]

In that case perhaps a book is not what you need, but a lot of listening... to the likes of Paul Chambers, Ron Carter etc.

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[quote name='Bassjon' timestamp='1418559876' post='2631124']
Wow, thanks everybody! The John Goldsby book is fantastic - if a little advanced.



Hector, I find those Mooney books put different chord substitutions in each chorus - sometimes the II-V secondary dominants, sometimes the tri-tones etc. I am looking to add the chord tones one at a time to get them in my head. I understand the idea of walking jazz, I just have trouble applying it!
[/quote]

Those substitutions will come in handy for sure, but maybe put them on the back burner for a while.

Sounds like you don't know enough language. Here's a tried and tested method:

1. Identify a chord sequence you have trouble with.
2. Find a tune with that sequence in, and transcribe a walking line you like over that sequence.
3. Learn your transcribed line thoroughly (be able to sing it over the chords, learn to play it all over your instrument)
4. Work out the theory behind that line, and learn it in all 12 keys.
6. Write some variations on your transcribed line and learn those thoroughly too.
7. Repeat for the same chord sequence a minimum of three lines for each situation.
8. Do this for any chord sequence you struggle with.

The secret is that there is no secret - it's all there on the records.

Walking a good line with a solid time feel and appropriate note choices should be your top priority.

Edit - Also just to say, but try to focus in getting blues, rhythm changes and one or two often-played standards together (all the things, stella, autumn leaves etc)

Edited by Hector
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A fine choice sir, and a sensible ordered approach. Make sure you transcribe some lines off records though! Here are some prime examples:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u37RF5xKNq8 (Sam Jones on bass)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MLn3YHeeaKc (Ray Brown on bass)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O923RxX4Hpc (Ron Carter on bass)

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