5 MUST LEARN standards?

[the*doctor]

Hi everyone,

I'm on school holidays now, so have plenty of time to practice guitar.
I haven't really been focusing on learning that many tunes, but rather getting a solid grip on the theory.

I need you to formulate me a list of 5 standards to learn in depth. I want ones that you'd be embarassed to turn up to a jam without knowing them

Nothing UBER difficult, but a bit of a challenge is cool.

Thanks in advance

[HighSpeedSpoon]

Alas, there are way more than five "must know" standards, but we all have to start somewhere. Here are five very popular standards to get you going - but not the only five:

Autumn Leaves
Sugar
Summertime
Tenor Madness
Watermelon Man

If you don't have a real book, you really should get one - either the paper ones like I have or an e-version. There are three volumes of the Hal Leonard set that I have, and Volume I is a good place to start. Depending on where you are at, you might want to start with the Jamey Aebersold Maiden Voyage book instead of or in addition to the real book. (Three of the tunes I mentioned are in Maiden Voyage.)

Good luck. A journey of a 1,000 miles starts with a single step.

[the*doctor]

Originally Posted by HighSpeedSpoon

Alas, there are way more than five "must know" standards, but we all have to start somewhere. Here are five very popular standards to get you going - but not the only five:

Autumn Leaves
Sugar
Summertime
Tenor Madness
Watermelon Man

If you don't have a real book, you really should get one - either the paper ones like I have or an e-version. There are three volumes of the Hal Leonard set that I have, and Volume I is a good place to start. Depending on where you are at, you might want to start with the Jamey Aebersold Maiden Voyage book instead of or in addition to the real book. (Three of the tunes I mentioned are in Maiden Voyage.)

Good luck. A journey of a 1,000 miles starts with a single step.

Thanks for the suggestions

I already know tenor madness and watermelon man, so that's cool.

I have the Warner brothers 'just jazz real book' which i got for my bday. Those aebersold books sound good and I think my friend has that maiden voyage book, because he plays sax. I'll have to photocopy some of the songs out of it.

If there are any more, that would be good since I already know 2 of those.

[Jazzpunk]

Originally Posted by the*doctor

Those aebersold books sound good and I think my friend has that maiden voyage book, because he plays sax. I'll have to photocopy some of the songs out of it.

He probably doesn't have this version:

Amazon.com: Vol. 54 Maiden Voyage Guitar Voicings (Play- a-Long) (9781562240882): Mike Diliddo: Books



It was recommended to me when I first joined this forum and I got a lot out out of it. Very useable voicings and quite a bit of variety on each tune.

[the*doctor]

I haven't seen that version before,
I'll have to check it out.
Thanks

[HighSpeedSpoon]

I don't know anyting about the fake book that you have, so barring input from someone who knows better than me, I wouldn't run out and buy another one. However, I was not aware of the guitar version of Maiden Voyage that Jazzpunk mentioned, and it looks like it could be cool.

As for more standards, I think Blue Bossa and Blue Monk are fairly common. Some others that I personally like are A Day in the Life and When Sunny Gets Blue.

[JakeAcci]

hmm jam session...picking five that seem to get called the most...

all blues
autumn leaves
so what
watermelon man
there will never be another you

depends who you are playing with...

[jtizzle]

Four
Anthropology/Oleo/Rhythm-a-ning/Any other Rhythm Changes head.
Tenor Madness/Straight No Chaser/Blue Monk/Any blues head
Solar
Have You Met Miss Jones

Another thing you could do is go to a jam session where you wanna start playing, don't play the first night, just go and watch. See what kind of tunes they're playing. Learn them for next week. Many places have songs that are "local" to the place, as in, they're called every single week.

[JakeAcci]

oh great call Jtizzle

shit you could even talk to the people that regularly host the jam and just ask them what tunes they play the most. People are usually nice about that stuff, happy to talk shop

[HighSpeedSpoon]

Originally Posted by JakeAcci

hmm jam session...picking five that seem to get called the most...

all blues
autumn leaves
so what
watermelon man
there will never be another you

depends who you are playing with...

Good call. I forgot about All Blues and So What. They are pretty common.

[the*doctor]

Thanks for these great reccomendations!

Since I already know a couple of the suggested songs, I've narrowed it down to:

1. Autumn Leaves
2. Blue Bossa (I haven't really looked at many songs like this)
3. So What
4. All Blues
5. Oleo (Could never play anthropology )

Are there any good recordings of these tunes that would be ideal to learn from, because I find I get too confused from all the ideas from the many versions of the songs.

Miles Davis has recordings of each of these songs except blue bossa, so I might check them out, Miles Davis is awesome

Or can you think of some better recordings to learn from?

Thanks...

[randalljazz]

all the things you are
stella by starlight
autumn leaves (learn it it G minor)
green dolphin street (in Eb)
body and soul

[max chill]

Foottprints
Straight No Chaser
Killer Joe
Impressions
Lady Bird

[cosmic gumbo]

When the Saints Come Marching In
Sweet Georgia Brown
Tiger Rag
Mood Indigo
Gazzelloni

[TruthHertz]

Find out what is "standard" in jams around where you live. It really does change from city to city.

Rhythm changes will cover many situations and contrafacts
All The Things has been big for a lot of places
Stella By Starlight is a swiss army knife of devices
Body And Soul will often be called for a ballad
Indiana or Donna Lee is worth learning 'cause somebody's gonna call it and in some places how you handle it is more important than your car or your weenie for self respect.

Lots more, but that's what I'd want for a jam and only 5 tunes. In the last category, weenie tunes, it used to be Cherokee, then it was Donna Lee, then Giant Steps. Each era has a tune they feel you should know as a "graduate piece" that grants a certain membership.
David

[JakeAcci]

Originally Posted by TruthHertz

In the last category, weenie tunes, it used to be Cherokee, then it was Donna Lee, then Giant Steps. Each era has a tune they feel you should know as a "graduate piece" that grants a certain membership.
David

Hah! Inner Urge!

[Dark Star]

Originally Posted by randalljazz

all the things you are
stella by starlight
autumn leaves (learn it it G minor)
green dolphin street (in Eb)
body and soul

Why Green Dolphin Street in Eb? Don't most folks play it in C? (BTW Eb is the key I happened to learn it in because of Bill Evans' version)

[the*doctor]

Thanks for the extra suggestions, after learning the ones I'm on I'll be learning these next

[jmstritt]

Originally Posted by Dark Star

Why Green Dolphin Street in Eb? Don't most folks play it in C? (BTW Eb is the key I happened to learn it in because of Bill Evans' version)

I think you may have answered your own question.

[texasjazz]

Gazzelloni

I'm not sure this tune, although a great tune, is really a must learn. Eric Dophy tunes are somewhat challenging to say the least. I've been to hundreds of jam sessions and nobody has ever called this tune.

I will suggest: 1.) any ii V blues, 2.) Autumn Leaves, 3.) Girl From Ipanema 4.) So What, 5.) Oleo or another rhythm changes head

[the*doctor]

Cool,

Spam about Canadian geese ugg boots on my thread

[82Benedetto]

I would stay away from the slower standards. No matter how much I play out, I notice people love any of the blues tunes they can dance to (watermelon man, etc,) Take 5 is usually a hit (even though it's not one of my favorite songs.), something like all of me or there will never be another you, and a cool bossa.

[aniss1001]

I'd say: Autumn leaves, There will never be another you, The Days of wine and roses, Round midnight, Stella by starlight (a tough one)...

EDIT: Ah and off course I GOT RYTHM (pretty important because it is the base of all rythm changes)...

[erwinvd]

Summertime
Autumn leaves
All of me
Love me or leave me
Fly me to the moon

[erwinvd]

Blue bossa
Watermelon man
Take five
All the things you are
Girl from Ipanema

to name a top-5. I am sure there are vocal and non-vocal easy standards to start with