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Step 1
Begin by securing an upright bass to play. Purchase or rent an upright bass guitar at a local music store after doing some extensive research and considering your price range and familiarity with the instrument.
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Step 2
Take a few courses or private lessons on basic upright bass techniques before attempting to play jazz. Learn the basics of music theory, including rhythm, scales, articulation and especially sight reading, which will be a key feature of being a superior jazz music player.
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Step 3
Solidify your understanding of jazz and study jazz theory. Concentrate specifically on scale progressions and key changing. Play along with recordings and notice the upright bass part; try to mimic the sound or improvise your own part using the recording as a guide.
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Step 4
Pay attention when playing in the ensemble, since you are typically the backbone of the music as an upright bassist. Your job in the jazz ensemble will be to keep the progression of the music through playing the base notes of the chords in the musical. Consider yourself the musical heartbeat.
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Step 5
Listen to some recordings of jazz and pay special attention to the purpose of the bassist in the ensemble. Pay special attention to musicians like Eddie Costa Trio and Oscar Peterson, who are staples in the upright jazz bass world. Notice how they create a subtle mood with their impeccable playing.
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Step 6
Think on your toes and know your keys and chord progressions on an intuitive level; it will help you to be a superior upright bassist. Try taking a simple song like "Mary Had A Little Lamb" and making it into an upright jazz solo; it will help with improvisation skills.
