Recommended Standards to know?

[musicjohnny]

I recently got myself a Real Book, but with so many tunes, I have no idea where to start!

What are some tunes that I should learn? Perhaps listing the easier ones and also the more common ones. Also another question, what method do you guys take to learn standards?

Melody first, then changes, or vice versa?

[cosmic gumbo]

If you search the forum, you'll find the answers to the last 283 people who asked the exact same questions.

[jackmac]

Im starting with Autumn Leaves....of course!

[musicjohnny]

Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo

If you search the forum, you'll find the answers to the last 283 people who asked the exact same questions.

True that, I was just being lazy.

I searched though, and found some suggestions here and there that I'll be sure to give a try.

[TommyD]

Learn the ones you like.

[fep]

I learn standards based on the likelihood that other players will know them. Here's a list ranked by how often each standard has been recorded.

Jazz Standards Songs and Instrumentals Contents

[FatJeff]

My recommendation is to ditch the real book, and start transcribing songs that you like from actual audio recordings. This is the traditional method, and ensures that you'll really learn the tune. And you won't forget them in a month.

Learning tunes out of a real book is like carrying along a phrase book on vacation to a foreign country - you might be able to make it by in day to day conversation, but nobody's going to believe that you really know the language. Transcription is more like moving to a country and immersing yourself in the whole culture. It might take more effort, but the end result is something a lot more convincing and authentic than just playing someone else's interpretation of one particular artist's rendition of a standard.

Not to mention the fact that a LOT of real book songs contain errors.

These days the only time I use lead sheets from external sources is when I have to learn a complex song very quickly for a performance.

[FatJeff]

To answer the OP's actual questions, however:

- I listen to a given song by a few different artists repeatedly, usually on my commute to/from work, to internalize the song.
- Once I feel comfortable with how the song sounds (including any intros, bridges, endings, etc.), and I can mostly sing it in my head, I take the recording I like best into my studio and put the CD on
- I transcribe the intro melody
- I transcribe the main melody (not the solos)
- I transcribe the ending melody
- I transcribe the changes

I then put it into chord-melody form and memorize that.

Everything else seems to fall in place once I've done these steps.

[jackmac]

I can do that with main stream music, Folk, dadgad and other tunings, however as a newcomer to jazz I would struggle to do this, I accept that this is a way of doing this, thats how I did my dadgad stuff! Maybe Im just lazy! I think that Jazz is like a language, the phrasing, the chords etc, I struggle with some of the chords, so Like learning a language a 'phrase book' or dvd is useful. I think that the internet is amazing now for guitarists, resources like this on line! I do accept that some might say the journey of self learning is the lesson best learned, but as I said before it can be time consuming. I remember that summer 30 odd years ago learning Stairway to heaven etc

[FatJeff]

Take a look at this link: Learning Jazz Standards

[Reg]

Hey Musicjohnny...How goes... "The New Real Books" have tunes also in style groupings and one of them is called "Choice Standards", good start. There are three new real books. Feps list of most recorded tunes was very cool. I've found that every city or section of the country has a different top 100, most vocalist and artist leading gigs have books. And usually when they don't... they let you know tunes and keys ahead of time. I'm in Cal. and I have Binders for all the different players or gigs I do. I have all the fake books and disks and also have very good ears. I 'm fortunate to be able to gig with one of the last great B-3 players, in a trio setting, he never gives me charts, and we just play a lot of standards, different feels, times and keys, I never know whats coming... it's one of my favorite gigs. My point is you need to be aware of more than just the top 100 standards and work on playing them from your head. Don't work on one tune to long, it becomes habit forming. Be aware of forms and how the melodies and changes fit.
Fatjeffs site was pretty cool also, but I play lots gigs with music on stage and have no problem interacting, I do sight read well, but usually after the 1st time through your done with the chart until the coda.
Transcribing is great ear training and usually when you put that much time in you never forget that tune... but there are at least a couple thousand standards and most musician have trouble transcribing one tune a day... so that's not going to get you there. I usually only transcribe tunes I'm going to arrange or use where I need to know the tune inside out. Don't get me wrong I've put in my time and still do. Start your own list made up from all the other lists. Make different collections that fit gigs you play or would like to play etc... Practice memorizing them as needed. There's nothing like deadlines to help the memory process...really. Best Reg