Jazz Band
How can I perform for my school’s jazz band with bass guitar?
I’m just entering my junior year and I’ve been playing bass guitar for about 2 years. I’m not that good since I can’t read music and I’m not good at improvising. Jazz Band is a second semester class, so I might be able to change to it but it would require alot of work….
If I ask my bass teacher about this and start learning music theory and other stuff, will I be able to make the audition for jazz band? I don’t even know what to expect…
Go for it! I’ve been in jazz band for a year now, as a freshman, and I just barely learned it as the school year started. I didn’t really have a teacher- just the bassist who was a senior and leaving at the end of the year. He was a great teacher, no doubt about that, but I actually learned most of it on my own, with the help of a fret chart. I practiced A TON on all of the songs that I was given to learn and I was able to preform them all at concerts and in the middle of the year a bunch at jazz night. I had no experience on bass, other than playing the cello for less than a year. It’s very important that you can stay on beat and follow the band, drummer, and band director so you may want to practice that before you try out. Especially when the bass line is just a walking bass line you need to keep on tempo. I would also suggest that you learn how to read music. There are many tricky rythyms and things in jazz music so learning how to count and read the notes is very important. Out of all of the stuff I said, the MOST important thing is to practice and be dedicated to what you want to do.
Good luck and have fun!
Jazz Band of America 2007
