JMI JAZZ JUMP START

Play jazz today with the jmi jump start guides

Get THE jazz jumpstart guide !

Why Learn the Blues?

The 12-bar blues form is the perfect place to start your jazz journey with a simple but powerful structure.

The blues form repeats every 12 bars, giving you a predictable roadmap that’s easy to follow. Once you know where you are in the form, you can focus on the fun part – making music! Plus, the chord changes in Bb blues appear in hundreds of jazz standards, so you’re building vocabulary you’ll use forever.

WHAT YOU'LL LEARN USING THIS GUIDE

The JMI Jazz Jump Start guide includes video tutorials, backing tracks, and sheet music for all instruments – your first step into the world of jazz. Learn how to play a Bb Blues along with our JMI rhythm section.

✓  How small jazz ensembles work
✓  Charts & video tracks for all instruments
✓  Basic improvisation that anyone can learn
✓  What role your instrument plays in jazz
✓  How to join the musical conversation

🎹 🎤 🎺 Instrumentalists & Vocalists

As a melody player, you’re the storyteller who brings jazz standards to life through both faithful interpretation and personal expression. This guide takes you from playing written melodies to creating your own improvised solos using simple, proven techniques that sound sophisticated immediately.

Your Roadmap: Learn melody → Play along with our rhythm section → Learn some basic improvisation → Develop your musical voice

What You Get:

  • – Lead sheets for “Bb Blues” with melody notation in all relevant keys for all instruments
    – JMI Rythm Section backing track video
  • – Improvisation exercises
  • – Instrument-specific technique guides
🎸 Bass Players

Bass players are the foundation that makes everything else possible – you provide both the harmonic roadmap and rhythmic pulse that allows other musicians to take creative risks. You’ll learn to create bass lines that groove naturally while developing the skills that make you the most sought-after player in any jazz setting.

Your Roadmap: Master root notes → Lock in with drums → Build bass lines → Groove in a band

What You Get:

  • – Charts for “Bb Blues” progression
    – Bass player’s backing track
  • – Instruction
🥁 Drummers

Jazz drumming is about musical conversation, not just timekeeping – you’re the conductor, energy controller, and often the band leader all rolled into one. This guide teaches you to think musically behind the kit, supporting soloists with dynamic sensitivity while navigating song forms with confidence.

Your Roadmap: Develop swing feel → Learn song forms → Practice musical support → Lead the conversation

What You Get:

  • – Drummer’s backing track
    – Swing feel development exercises
  • – 12-bar blues form chart with section markers
  • – Brush technique video tutorials
  • – Dynamic control and musical support guides

CHECK OUT OUR ESSENTIAL JAZZ PLAYLIST

We have curated a collection of classic and contemporary recordings that showcase the evolution of timeless principles in jazz. Start with some historically fundamental artists like Louis Armstrong, and work your way up to contemporary international powerhouses like Esperanza Spalding.