I really want to start playing jazz but don’t know where to start. I’ve learned how to play a couple of different walks but I want to start learning some more rhythmically comes stuff than walks with chromatic fills. I haven’t been able to find too many jazz songs that are suitable for my level. It’s either something kinda simple or something that seems like a pretty large skill gap. Any suggestions?
Ultimately I’d love to be able to craft my own 25 first jazz songs in 50 weeks type list that ascends in difficulty.
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Jazz bass is a tough one for a ‘50 first songs’ because very rarely is the bassline easy like some pop/rock tunes, and generally has a lot of improvisational bits to it.
However, picking some of the standards and starting with root fifths and following the chords is a great place to start. Then, this is where all the theory comes in, you can start adding other scale notes etc but you’ve got to know your scales which is a lot of study. You can instead pick another not in the scale and use the 3 with space and tempo articulation to practice.
You can also learn some riffs from some songs that are more recognizable. There’s a couple good books on Mingus that have all his bass parts mapped out, or at least the ‘heads’.
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Hi @Billy92, welcome to the forums! You might be interested in this:
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Thanks Mike! I appreciate the links. I figured there were a couple of posts already but haven’t yet figured out the search feature on here.
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This is really, really hard - there is really no easy way to get going with jazz.
If you are serious about jazz (standards), you will have to put in the time and learn how to play walking bass. There are books out there that can help as well as courses (e.g. at TalkingBass). Along the line, you will need to learn about chords and arpeggios and scales.
Learning to play rock gives you almost instant possibilities to apply that new knowledge and thus get “rewarded” right away. With jazz, it is a much more tedious process and “gratification” is a bit like a mirage at the edge of the desert - it might turn into a real well of cooling water, or you might give up half-way through as you don’t believe you will make it anymore.
So, not to discourage you, but just wanted to be realistic. It requires hard work. Of course, if you put in the work, what you learn for walking bass will benefit you in many other genres as well.
The main challenge is that it is difficult to define (and find) an entry level and then have a clear progression in difficulty from there. Still, you can start playing through many standards only playing roots and fifths; and that’s perfectly fine if ultimately a bit boring (and repetitive).
From there, you slowly and gradually include thirds and sevenths and then inversions etc into your playing. Then perhaps chromaticism and the concept of voice leading and so on. You will start to think about different options to move from, say, a ii chord to a V chord and so forth. And slowly you will become more creative and play more “freely”. That’s when it starts to get interesting 
Good luck!
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Well said, @joergkutter. 
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A post was split to a new topic: Beginning With Jazz
I heard a killer Grammy-nominated bassist play “So What” last night. I love that tune and have listened to it countless times.
While the basic bass line the dude played was essentially that, his solos were literally off the chart. Melodic, imaginative and musical; never repetitive or mundane, he accompanied my dear friend as she played her signature jazz guitar stylings.
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FYI, Chris Maresh is his name.
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