Is There an "Easy" Way to Learn Jazz?

[markesquire]

I've always been a rocker. I started by playing Green Day power chords. However, I've always had an appreciation for jazz; there's something dark and contemplative about its dissonance, especially on guitars.

I've heard that jazz is the most theoretically complicated music; "if you can improvise in jazz, you can play anything." Unfortunately, although I managed to graduate from law school and have read philosophy for years, I can never wrap my mind around music theory. I really envy those of you who find it natural.

Are there any books or materials that would serve as cheat-sheet short-cuts, perhaps a Jazz for Super-Dummies?

[walternewton]

Is there an "Easy" way, no. If you're put off by learning a bunch of heavy theory stuff up front however, you can always learn the same way many of the great jazz players did instead - that is, tons of listening and transcribing solos from recordings by ear...

[DMace]

NO

[PJ]

Not easy, but the books with DVDs are very good for getting started. It's very helpful to see what's being played. Alfred's "Beginning Jazz Guitar" is the best starter course around. Or certainly one of the best. It covers scales, jazz chords and a little theory - at least the theory that applies to what's being taught. Then, I'd try to find a jazz teacher. If you live in a fairly major city, there will be some available. Teachers are good because they're interactive. And they explain things that you need to extract from a book. I've been noodling around with jazz for a long time (decades) and I can get through tunes in the fake books, but I aint no Pat Methaney.

[DMace]

Originally Posted by markesquire

I've always been a rocker. I started by playing Green Day power chords. However, I've always had an appreciation for jazz; there's something dark and contemplative about its dissonance, especially on guitars.

I've heard that jazz is the most theoretically complicated music; "if you can improvise in jazz, you can play anything." Unfortunately, although I managed to graduate from law school and have read philosophy for years, I can never wrap my mind around music theory. I really envy those of you who find it natural.

Are there any books or materials that would serve as cheat-sheet short-cuts, perhaps a Jazz for Super-Dummies?

Try to find Joe Pass' video, if you can. Most importantly though, jazz is learned/absorbed by playing through the changes over and over and over and learning to improvise through those changes (both in the sense of passing chords and moving lines, and soloing). You can't be a weekend jazz-warrior. It requires constant, daily dedication, study, and trial and error. I know enough jazz to fake it around those who don't play it and to embarrass myself around those who do.

[markesquire]

Thanks for the blunt answers.

It's confusing, it seems like unlike the ultra-trained classical musicians, many jazz musicians weren't painstakingly studied in theory.

[bingy]

The thing to remember is...it is a finite number of harmonic variations on the chords and movement that you already know.

Almost any Jazz guitar book will work...

The "Real Book" is good to get into.

[Joe-Bob]

Originally Posted by walternewton

...you can always learn the same way many of the great jazz players did instead - that is, tons of listening and transcribing solos from recordings by ear...

No easy way, but transcribing solos is no way for a beginner to start.

Make sure you're up on all your chords and variations.

Buy a real book, if it looks Greek to you:

1.) Make sure you didn't buy the Greek version...

2.) Find a teacher...

3.) Play jazz. Join a big band. Play in the rhythm section. Sight read lotsa charts. Often, local community colleges will offer an evening band. There may be a community band near you. Go for it, it's fun! The guitar usually sits next to the lead tenor sax, who gets lotsa solos--that's when you should be listening especially hard.

[63dot]

I think many of the books out there will give you a good start as it did for me.

Long term, however, the best jazz guitarists I have met out there either 1) read music pretty well, and/or 2) know how to play either sax, trombone, trumpet, flute, or some other non stringed instrument with some proficiency. I can't tell you how important the good jazz guitarists I know stress this. Where many of us guitarists think of chords and scales, many wind/brass instruments think of single line melodies and playing with, or slightly modifying the main melody.

Think of a favorite Green Day tune, sure you may know the chords. But sit in a quiet place with no distractions, and try to play the melody in a single line. Do this with other songs you know well. It's very hard for guitarists more than any instrument I can think of. You have to train yourself to think and play in this manner.

Once you get how to play the melody, then you will usually be put in the role of comping, or playing chords in the background. There is no real way to get the feel of jazz comping without having a way to relate to how instruments that can play one note at a time would approach a tune. This sensitivity, or a jazz musicality, takes years to develop for most of us, and years after having figured out fingerstyle walking bass lines with chords, I am still just a beginner.

You may start out with jazz in a 1-4-5 blues progression (but not standard blues as one may think of it), but then the hard part comes in utilizing this when the orchestra leader wants you to play a Christmas carol using jazz techniques and styling. Just fingerstyling "Jingle Bells" with a walking jazz bass line is something most people will never be able to do, or have the patience to do.

[beep.click]

Carole Kaye says she can teach anyone jazz in 90 days. She says most teaching methods don't have their priorities straight -- her students are playing year 3 material in week 3.

I don't know how true that is, or if the Carol Kaye method works for everyone, but it sure seems worth a try. Carol's story is, somebody taught her jazz in 3 months, when she was 13, and she immediately got work in jazz clubs. Then she went on to play on more records -- more HITS -- than you can count.

When Carol talks, I pay attention.

[smsuryan]

theres a lot of lessons out there..one thing i can tell you is break it down slowly, especially at first...baby steps..
practice on 3 strings ONLY..say the D,G,and B...
find some jazz sheet music from a book or online and go thru the chord changes (forget the melodies for now, save that for later) and ascend the scale, say, a B-flat major, and say the next change, d-minor.. descend this time down the scale..for a week practice on those three strings in all 5 CAGED positions up and down the neck just to get used to changes...ascend, descend, ascend, descend..this will force you to think about what youre playing before you play it..then switch to, say, the G,B, and E...and continue in the same manner...
(one thing about jazz is you have to see the changes, and while youre playing whatever youre playing now, you have to think about the change coming up in 1,2 maybe 4 beats from now..thats the tough part and why you have to be a thinking player...)
after just a month youll notice youre seeing the neck a whole different way..more of a map then a blank canvas...and if you really wanna be a trooper sing every note you play to really develop your ear...that will help tremendously down the road..
i hope this helps..if you want me to elaborate more pm me and id be happy to help

[Wardpike]

Play a lot of wrong notes.

[ibobunot]

Originally Posted by DMace

Try to find Joe Pass' video, if you can.

Joe Pass - The Blue Side of Jazz

[tap4154]

Originally Posted by Wardpike

Play a lot of wrong notes.

LOL! That's what I was gonna say. Just play all the notes NOT in the blues scale, and you'll be playing jazz.

(just kidding, I have TONS of respect for jazz players -- especially the inventive chords and changes etc.)

[Bernie]

Originally Posted by Wardpike

Play a lot of wrong notes.

Funny, but seriously, to the OP, if you know what a "wrong" note is and can explain why it's a wrong note, you're on the right track. Then listen to Monk, and then go about the task of trying to figure out why all of those "wrong" notes sound so right.

[slowpinky]

Originally Posted by markesquire

Thanks for the blunt answers.

It's confusing, it seems like unlike the ultra-trained classical musicians, many jazz musicians weren't painstakingly studied in theory.

The theory , historically, comes after the music - even classical theory has chased its innovators.
More important is to develop your ear and your time. You can transcribe anything -the most simple thing - and it will be a good start because playing Jazz like any other music depends on an evolving relationship between your ear and your ability to play.

Learn to play a swing feel on drums.

Learn to play a walking bass line through a blues.

Sing a phrase before you play it.

It helps to read music - and if you can manage it check out some chord solos from the plethora of books out there- taking note of the names of the chords, the progressions and the way the chords voice - lead to one another.

Then study some chord scale relationships - and when you are ready get yourself the Charlie Parker Omnibook (concert) or Steve Khan's Wes Montgomery Transcriptions (et al) and play/analyse some of those solos along with the recordings.

p.s -that might take more than 3 weeks.....................

Listen to a lot of Jazz and go to Jazz gigs!

[Big Mike Simpson]

Originally Posted by Wardpike

Play a lot of wrong notes.

And play the same wong notes over an over again and act like you meant to do it...


I like the Joe pass video... I will have to buy that one...

[warmingtone]

Depends how you define "jazz"

It doesn't need to be that hard, attitude might be more of a factor.

Listening helps, but I'd go straight to something like Mile's Davis' "Kind of Blue" album...possibly the most popular jazz record of all time.

It is approachable in that it uses simpler approaches with less "changes" and is based on modal stuff.

The classic to start with is something like "so what"...

Use these chord voicings in Dm...

--5---7------
--6---8------
--5---7------
--5---7------
--5---7------
-----------

Move them up a fret for Eb in the middle 8...have a listen for the general idea and feel. Play along to the album!

Then, use D dorian...or even just Dm pentatonic perhaps to start with. Dorina in Dm is the same notes as C major but you need to hear the key centre as Dm. Also, the change to Eb will give you practice in swithcing to unlikely keys smoothly without having to learn a lot of chord theory that bebop styles demand.

Now...to get it sounding Jazzy and not just Bluesy...dial up a suitable cleanish tone and try and play with as much swing as you can...at first over emphasize the triplet feel to eighth notes...play the first 8th long and the second short per beat.

This "swing" feel is crucial!

As you listen and play you may pick up other jazzisms...lines of eight notes, unusual phrase lengths, etc.

This makes a great intro to Jazz without the heavy theory. Once you get past this perhaps explore the jazz/blues kinds of styles...nice and cool...perhaps look at recent threads on jazz blues records and some alternate chord progressions for the basic blues. Minor blues sequences can be great for getting a easy cool jazz feel.

---

That said, there is some "elite-ism" in jazz circles...even defining it can be controversial.

It needn't be "hard" but there generally is quite a bit of "intellectualism" behind it.

It is a genre that people turn to because after a while all those power chord type things might get a little less fulfilling than it once did. Same with pentatonic soloing over the blues, or country playing...so jazz offers this added "depth". To get deep, then you do need to dig deep into understanding it, feeling it, listening and absorbing and getting into a bit of theory along the way.

You could try transcriptions, but just learning an improvised solo at first is probably not the best idea IMHO...there is lots to learn, but without understanding how and why this stuff worked, it has some dubious returns.

If you have some blues tendencies, you could attempt something like SRV's Lenny...a few jazzy voicings and moves but solos over a simple E > A vamp...a lot of pentatonic blues soloing there, but sounds jazzy largely through the "swing" elements and "attitude"

[surfco]

No.

[telematic]

I have a master's degree in Jazz Studies, and I gig a lot playing jazz on upright bass, sax, piano, and guitar in that order of frequency.

I'm not saying that to be cool, I'm saying it because I want you to know that I know what I'm talking about. No there is no easy way to learn jazz. But if you really enjoy doing in, and don't try to bite too big of chunks at once, then you don't think of it as hard, you see it as a life long study.

It's not something you just learn a few licks and amaze people with.

It is probably good to get a good teacher that can figure out what is the best path for you. And be prepared to feel like you are not making progress for quite a while, maybe even feel like you are moving backwards. It's not just about learning HOW to play the music, and hit all the right notes. That's the first step, but you will only sound like a lame, scared student being pulled along the changes. Even though it takes years sometimes just to get to that point, it's the kind of playing that bores people.

The way to learn to play is to study hard, devote time, practice, don't get discourages, transcribe solos and learn to play them, learn tunes, learn to understand harmony, learn the language and vocabulary of the music, listen, listen, listen to hundreds of jazz tunes, and then do it enough so that becomes second nature and you play with the same fire and passion and lack of hesitation that you play those green day songs.

You have to love the music, and you obviously have an interest. You learned those Green Day songs because you liked that music, it got you interested, you put on the record and learned it. That's what you do with Jazz too. What is your favorite guitar solo? Learn to play it along with the record note for note. Do it because you can't NOT do it. Do it because you can't live without being able to play that solo better than the original artist.

That's how you start.

Good Luck

[jamester]

Originally Posted by markesquire

I've heard that jazz is the most theoretically complicated music; "if you can improvise in jazz, you can play anything."

Ok I'll bite...

First of all, that quote is complete BS; back when I was learning guitar I was encouraged to learn classical, because "if you can play classical guitar, you can play anything". Different styles are their own languages; jazz is a complex language, but it won't make you a good bluegrass picker, or metal shredder, or classical player etc...

But as for the topic, I'll give my opinion that there are three main steps to learning jazz. However, this assumes certain basics are already established, like being able to play major and minor scales all over the neck, and understanding the basic theory behind Maj7, Min7 and Dom7 chords. These are absolute prerequisites!

Then the three steps:

1) Buy a Real Book or some other jazz fake book, and start checking out the first set of basic "must know" standards like Summertime, Autumn Leaves, Blue Bossa, Take the 'A' Train, Just Friends etc...

2) Get on YouTube, iTunes, whatever, and listen to these songs! Find the classic recordings and listen to them, all the time. Learn the forms, learn the melodies so that you can hear when they are alluded to in the solos. Start learning the language...

3) Get some books on jazz patterns and/or research the internet. The language of jazz is really a system of phrasing using many small melodic patterns and applying them (in either simple or rather complex ways) over a tune's chord progression. Be able to arpeggiate through ii-V-I progressions, especially in keys like F, Bb and Eb (common jazz keys).

This is what it all boils down to IMO. Jazz has a repetoire of both tunes and vocabulary, just like any other style of music. You have to learn the tunes, and learn how to play over them in a way that is based in the language and tradition of jazz.

Plan on dedicating at least a couple decades to this, but that can easily turn into a lifetime!

[rangercaster]

theory is theory and music is music ... i am a self-taught player ... you need to learn the language before you can speak it ... listen to all the jazz music you can starting at the beginning of recorded history ... do not limit yourself to any categories (piano, violin, guitar, sax, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, vocals ) you will need to learn some theory, but ear-training is more important ... immerse yourself in it ... most of all, have fun with it and develop your own voice !!!

[craigoslo]

start off with a diatonic tune like autumn leaves. Learn chords, melody, and major scales for soloing. A song like this is not that hard to be able to play in a basic way. Giant steps however, well, the title says it all.

[craigoslo]

Check out http://justinguitar.com/en/JA-000-Jazz.php for some tips on easy jazz.

[macuser]

If you want to learn jazz,get lessons (conservatorium if it's possible in your country).
I've did double bass and bassguitar and it was a wonderfull journey.
Now i'm starting again with guitar.

In Belgium we can study for master(5 years) or bachelor(3 year)full daytime-conservatorium.
However if your an adult and working fulltime we can do the same in evening-conservatorium.
>3 lower grades:no instrument only eartrainng,reading notes in different keys and learning different rhythms and music theory.
>3 middle grades:instrument+ combo+music culture
>3 higher grades:instrument+improvisation +combo

So that makes 9 years in total.
It's a verry slow progress but at the end it's worthted
But then you now all the jazz-progressions(II-V-I for example),lots and lots of scale's,afterwords you have to play them on all parts on your guitar)and mix them for impro's.

Concrete,if you don't understand the theory it's nearly unpossible to learn it in no time.

Think about it before you start!

Kurt

[strat a various]

OK, look, if you like Jazz and listen to a lot of it all the time, you'll learn to play Jazz. It'll be easier. If you just want to learn some of it to help you play Rock with more authority, you probably won't ever learn Jazz, because you have to listen to it to understand it. You may learn scales and chord theory, but if you don't listen to lots and lots of Jazz, you won't learn to play it well, if at all.
I get college age guys/gals in the audience all the time that graduated from some music school or other, and if you ever hear any of them, very few can play Jazz. They play scales over Real Book tunes right and left, but it doesn't sound like Jazz. About one in 50 or 60 get into it enough and love it enough AND put in the effort to "get it", they're usually the ones who can't get enough Jazz, they listen to it all the time. They'll go on to work with or become the big Jazz names of the future.

[brokenjoe]

Originally Posted by jamester

Ok I'll bite...

First of all, that quote is complete BS; back when I was learning guitar I was encouraged to learn classical, because "if you can play classical guitar, you can play anything". Different styles are their own languages; jazz is a complex language, but it won't make you a good bluegrass picker, or metal shredder, or classical player etc...

Yup!

Jazz guitarists just think they can play anything!

[macuser]

I agree on that,but with school(isnt the same like conservatorium) you'l get the basics and the bagage.
I spend about 10 hours in my car(working) and listen all the time to jazz.

[collinsman]

Check out Robert Conti's instructional site you might be surprised.

[octatonic]

The easiest way is also the hardest: Berklee.

[jazztele]

the answer is no.


but jazz is also not rocket science. it can be taught, it can be learned. i think the rudiments can be taught in 90 days, and then y'know, you have the rest of your life to apply them.

here's a few things you're going to need to know. in my opinion, these are the shortest cuts available. each will need to be practiced for hours. hours for weeks, for months.

1. chord knowledge: you will need to know your chords, and how to build them. if you don't know the name of every note on the fretboard right now, stop even thinking about jazz and get that down. 20 minutes a day for two weeks and you'll have it. you must know the formulas for chords (like maj 7= Root, third, fifth, major seventh) and be able to play at least 3 versions of each principal chord type (i refer to maj7, m7, dom7, and half diminished as the principal chord types) the versions you should start with would have the root on the 6th, 5th and 4th string. that's 12 chords as a start. it's the bare minimum--you cannot play good jazz with only these, but it's a start.
you then need to look inside those chord shapes...where's the sixth? where's the ninth? those 12 will become 75-80 quickly. then you invert...time frame: about a year.

2. get your ears ready: listen to as much jazz as possible. sing (scat) solos over every tune you hear. absorb it. steal licks, learn them in all keys, learn them in different octaves, learn how they're working against the chord of the moment.time frame: well, honestly, you should do this one for the rest of your life.

3. for starters, forget using a scale over a chord progression. play off the chords themselves...simplify--it's major, it's minor, it's dominant, or it's half-diminished. learn arpeggios for each of the chords you learn in step one. when you craft lines over a chord progression, use the arpeggios as a guidepost. when the chord changes, you change. time frame: same as #1.

is that it? no. but it's a start. start practicing, get a teacher, play with people better than you, get your butt kicked.

oh, and if you're viewing jazz as "something you should learn to be a complete guitar player" or "if i can play jazz, i can play anything," prepare to be dissapointed. if you want to play jazz, it's a commitment. practicing and playing jazz will help you play jazz. sure, there's plenty of things you'll learn that'll carry over to other styles, but if it's really jazz that you want to play, it takes time, dedication, and practice. good focused practice is the best shortcut to getting better EVER.

[klasaine]

To the OP ...
I would ask why do want to learn jazz? Just because it's supposed to be hard or that you think that you're supposed to learn it to get better. I'm not being a smarty or condescending. There are many people who think that they have to learn something - in this case jazz - but in reality don't need or want to.

Or, I would ask, what is it about jazz that you do like and want to incorporate into your playing. There are many many fine musicians who can't blow over Giant Steps but can naturally incorporate some jazz into their playing.

Jazz is 100 years old and as 'Jazztele' alludes to, "it's not apocrypha or some black art" anymore. It's just music. It uses all the same materials as any other kind of music.
Listen to it ALOT. Use that list of records from the 'jazz blues' thread http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tab-tips-...s-records.html It's a great place to start!
Go to see (and listen to) 'live' jazz.

[jazzbender]

The best answer so far has been the recurring one - find a good teacher. You will make real progress.

I think it was Dizzy Gillespie who said you only have to study jazz diligently for about 10 years. After that you can relax a little.

[refin]

Actually,every genre of music is difficult to play correctly and convincingly.

[zimbo]

Jazz requires a lot of studying and practicing chords. In the end you may be able to play amazing memorized renditions of Misty and all the rest of the standards. But really to be good at jazz you will need to be able to hear all the intricate changes in your head and understand jazz music the same way you would understand a foreign language. It's not just a I IV V progression.

[warmingtone]

jazztele...

but jazz is also not rocket science. it can be taught, it can be learned. i think the rudiments can be taught in 90 days, and then y'know, you have the rest of your life to apply them.

That entire post above pretty much sums it up...

Actually,every genre of music is difficult to play correctly and convincingly.

And so does that...

There is no genre that you can learn that will allow you to be convincing in another. Sometimes Jazz and classical guys make the worst rock or country players...

However, if you want to move to the next step, in any genre...learning the chord theory, how progressions work, knowing at least where all the notes are on the fretboard are important. Much of this is seen as a "jazz" pursuit...it's simply the next step towards being a better musician.

It isn't as "hard" as many people make out...the principles are very easy to learn and understand...it just takes continual use to keep fluent in those concepts. Also, these things, the language of music, apply regardless so it is often better to apply these things (like chord functions I IV V etc) to tunes you already know and understanding how they work before you get into things like confusing extensions and such.

A lot of this stuff can be treated as puzzles away from the instrument as well.

As for how "easy" it is or how long it might take, it depends on your goals...I am conscious all the time that a lot of the blueprint for what we consider jazz styles, as in rock and other genres was not only played but created by people who were really very young. Hendrix died at 27, Mozart had a lot of chops at the age of 6. In the Jazz realm as well, many of the originals were under enormous social pressures, driving all day to make a gig somewhere, discrimination...active social lives and in some cases impaired by drug use and ill health! Django was "pretty good" at a fairly young age, virtually illiterate and distracted by many things...clearly he had natural talent and a "love" for what he was doing...but then, he only had full use of 2 fingers on the fretting hand! All these kinds of examples humble one, but should also serve as some encouragement that one way or another, if someone really wants to, they can play!

[slowpinky]

Great stuff - but I should also add. It s absolutely essential to jam with like- minded players;the sooner the better. And the better the players the sooner you'll get better.

G.

[Telarkaster]

I highly suggest Emily Remler's videos. She explained things in a way that really made sense to me, and allowed me to understand what everyone was talking about.

Is there an easy way to learn anything? No. Some are easier than others I suppose, but it depends on the individual. Some people get "new math", some don't and need to memorize their multiplication tables. Some people can absorb new languages just by being around them, others need to repeat back words from a cassette and look up every word from a dictionary.

I recently decided to buckle down and learn as much jazz as I could. My approach was two-fold: I bought a method book to brush up on my theory, and I found the chords to certain Antonio Carlos Jobim songs that I liked so I could start playing. As I learned more and more theory, I could apply it to the songs I was playing and make them sound better. It's one thing to know how to finger an 11th chord, it's another thing to know why it's called an 11th chord or how to make a 9th chord into a #9th chord. Play songs that you like and learn what you need to know to play that song instead of trying to drink the ocean is the only advice I can give.

There are lots of famous players who claimed that they weren't very good at theory (Danny Gatton and Scotty Anderson for example), but I suspect they knew more than they let on and they were blessed with natural talent. Since I don't have that physical talent, I figure the more theory I know the better. Knowing the theory and the jargon allows you to explain your ideas to others when you get good enough to play with others, and more importantly to understand what others are saying when they want to share their knowledge with you.

[jamester]

Originally Posted by slowpinky

Great stuff - but I should also add. It s absolutely essential to jam with like- minded players;the sooner the better. And the better the players the sooner you'll get better.

G.

Excellent point!

[Stylemaster]

Originally Posted by craigoslo

Check out http://justinguitar.com/en/JA-000-Jazz.php for some tips on easy jazz.

Cool tip. Thanks!