Best first Jazz Standard to learn?

**Hadden** · 05-14-2009, 09:11 AM

What is the best Jazz Standard for a beginning jazz guitarist to learn?

Thanks,
Matt

**Banksia** · 05-14-2009, 09:15 AM

Easiest would be So What. Anything from that album is a good starter: All Blues, Freddie Freeloader. These are good tunes to pick up a jazz feel or groove. If you want to look at the harmonic side people usually start with Autumn Leaves or All the things you are. Both of those songs can be played with fairly basic chords and each time you go up a step in harmonic thinking you can come back and rework them.

**m78w** · 05-14-2009, 09:23 AM

Autumn Leaves is always a good tune to learn since it has both 2-5-1's in major and minor keys. Plus it's a tune that always gets called at jam sessions etc so it's practical.

MW

**JohnW400** · 05-14-2009, 09:29 AM

(+1) for Banksia on tunes from Kind Of Blue. Also some of the 'easier' Parker heads like Scapple or Ornithology.

Another great tune is Milestones by Davis. It's a cooker. It's real easy. It has two key centers and two grooves and Cannonballs solo is so good , you can sing it from memory.

**gravitas** · 05-14-2009, 09:45 AM

Blue Bossa is a nice one...

Also, there's a Charlie Parker tune with faux rhythm changes called Red Cross... the B Sections is the same as Rhythm Changes' is but the A section is almost all on a Bb chord.

These other guys are spot on too.

**gravitas** · 05-14-2009, 09:45 AM

Originally Posted by JohnW400

(+1) for Banksia on tunes from Kind Of Blue. Also some of the 'easier' Parker heads like Scapple or Ornithology.

Another great tune is Milestones by Davis. It's a cooker. It's real easy. It has two key centers and two grooves and Cannonballs solo is so good , you can sing it from memory.

jajajajaja love Cannonball's solo on that tune LOVE IT XD

**derek** · 05-14-2009, 09:59 AM

I start students out on Solar, Tune Up and All of Me. Easy ii V I's, and generally a measure for every chord, which allows time to play a few notes before the next change comes. Not sure there is a best, but Matt's suggestion of Autumn Leaves is good, as it never changes key.

John's suggestion of Parker heads threw me a bit. I would be curious about why bebop heads for beginners?

**JohnW400** · 05-14-2009, 10:50 AM

The changes. They're fairly easy. Scapple is a Gmi7-C7 for the most part with the dominant 7th B. Plus those two tunes were on the list of tunes we had to learn in the first semester at the WPC jazz program.

The other reason is a piece of advice I got about 35 years ago from this jazz accordianist Al Grant. (which I didn't take) and that was that if I wanted to learn how to improvise in jazz that I should study the bebop heads because that was were all the runs could be found. And he was right.

The opening notes to Scrapple can be a great strating point for a riff. Try it but keep going and fill the second measure insted of stopping so that it doesn't 'sound' like your coping the riff. Another good one is that Dizzy tune based on Whispering (?) I can't recall the title he used but the riff is excellent.

**gravitas** · 05-14-2009, 11:05 AM

The Dizzy tune is Groovin High, and I think Whispering is based on it... Also good point

**wizard3739** · 05-14-2009, 11:45 AM

I think maybe "All Things You Are" would be good because the melody is consists primarily of 3rds & 7ths of the chords. My second choice for a new jazz student would be "Autumn Leaves".

wiz

**derek** · 05-14-2009, 12:05 PM

Originally Posted by JohnW400

The changes. They're fairly easy. Scapple is a Gmi7-C7 for the most part with the dominant 7th B. Plus those two tunes were on the list of tunes we had to learn in the first semester at the WPC jazz program.

The other reason is a piece of advice I got about 35 years ago from this jazz accordianist Al Grant. (which I didn't take) and that was that if I wanted to learn how to improvise in jazz that I should study the bebop heads because that was were all the runs could be found. And he was right.

The opening notes to Scrapple can be a great strating point for a riff. Try it but keep going and fill the second measure insted of stopping so that it doesn't 'sound' like your coping the riff. Another good one is that Dizzy tune based on Whispering (?) I can't recall the title he used but the riff is excellent.

Great insight John, I would have never thought of that. Thanks.

**Hadden** · 05-14-2009, 05:28 PM

Thanks for the info all:

I decided my first tune will be: All the things you are.

I have it in (Band in a Box). Are there any artists I should listen to that have done this tune that could influence me on different ways to approach it?

**derek** · 05-14-2009, 05:42 PM

Goodness. A shorter list would be those that haven't. Some of my favs would be;

Lenny Breau & David Young - Live at Bourbon St.
Jim Hall & Pat Metheny
George Van Eps & Howard Alden - Handcrafted Swing

**abracadabra** · 05-14-2009, 05:53 PM

Also don't forget Billie's Bounce or Now's the Time if you're thinking about Parker stuff. Based on a typical jazz-blues and not too fast either.

**Hadden** · 05-14-2009, 06:52 PM

RandellJazz could you explain what you mean by guide tones?

Do you mean the Head line on different pairs of strings?

I've started learning a version that's kind of a chord melody thing from Band in a Box. The fake book version I have left me too many choices to start from scratch..Too many chord voicing choices. And there's a few new chords I don't know yet.

I've played rock for around 20 plus years..so alot of this is new to me.

**randalljazz** · 05-14-2009, 07:34 PM

learn guide tones (3rds and 7ths), on string pairs 3 -- 4 and 2 --3, especially. then add bass note below, if desired, and color notes above.

example, for C7, guide tones are E and Bb. with bass note C, you have C7. with bass note F#, you have tritone sub F#7. with bass note E or G, you have E Ø (Gm6, same thing). all three are dominant function in key of F.

add 9ths, 11ths or #11ths, 13ths, #5ths, etc, on first and second strings. study how familiar left-hand chord fingerings emerge.

or just play guide tones, for a clean, uncluttered sound, especially with a bass player (and/or piano). --quoting myself from another thread.

3rd and 7th of a chord define the sound and function, with or without the root (name of the chord). if playing in a group, the bass player will play the root, no need to double it.

guide tones are also a sound basis for improvisation. you will avoid much frustration and wasted time by learning guide tones thoroughly for each tune as you learn the tune.

**Hadden** · 05-14-2009, 08:00 PM

Thanks for the info.

I'm starting to understand it's easier to take in small idea's first then add to them.
I totally get the idea of guide tones now...it makes sense.
And the first video explained the use of the 5th in some cases.

After I learn this tune, and learn it's guide tones I will have another question in about a week if you don't mind helping.

Also biab is a great resource, I have an older version.
But if it help's me like it has today I think I might need to upgrade.
I've been using it to look at different ways to play "All the things you are"
, and it has really opened up the fretboard on this tune.

Thanks everyone for their help

Matt

**Luan** · 05-14-2009, 10:26 PM

IMO, tune up.

**Jake Hanlon** · 05-15-2009, 08:35 AM

Giant Steps

every tune afterwards will be a piece of cake...

Or a 12 bar blues.

**gazda** · 05-15-2009, 08:55 AM

I second Giant Steps, but only at tempo > 320bpm

**gravitas** · 05-15-2009, 09:10 AM

Then you'll be ready for Countdown

Ray C. · 05-15-2009, 10:26 AM

I would go to the Ellington song book and learn "Satin Doll," or "A-Train." What I like about "A-Train" is that it's also a tune that you can build a walking baseline around-almost intuitively and at a modest tempo.

**Luan** · 05-15-2009, 11:46 AM

The approach for giant steps is far from being the same for the rest of the songs...

**mike palmer** · 05-17-2009, 01:38 PM

Yea, sorry to jump in with a negative comment, but I'd vote against Giant Steps as a first tune to learn. It won't be all downhill from there and I would suggest that it's mostly a mainstream jazz audience that will want to give it a listen.

I would humbly suggest different first songs for different people. I think the player should start with a song they can sing. A song they know really well. If they are familiar with All The Things You Are, then okay. That way the song is 'recognizable' regardless of version/interpretation and they can track it with their ears. Satin Doll, All Blues, Tune Up are good suggestions in my opinion.

**Paul J Edwards** · 05-17-2009, 05:39 PM

I am new to jazz guitar and have been having a go at Autumn Leaves. Besides for the fact that it can be a simple tune it has possibilities to get much more complex. I am enjoying learning to improv on it and besides it is such a beautiful tune. I hear all sorts of melodies going through my head while learning it. I think this song is a great vehicle to learn the language.