So, you finally decided to dip your toe in the water and start learning some jazz. You’ve finally felt the power of the dark side of the force. Good for you! The rewards of learning to play jazz go way beyond just being a good guitar player. I am convinced that if you can learn to play jazz well, then harmonically-speaking you can play any style of music.

But I don’t want you to think it’s a cakewalk. It will take time, and it definitely will take practice. If you aren’t quite ready to dive right in, if you still want to dip your toes, I’ve assembled a list of five jazz standards that are, relatively-speaking, easy to pick up and start with.

1. The Blues

The blues is an absolutely essential jazz form that must be learned. Only three chords in a basic blues, but the permutations are endless. You should absolutely begin learning to play the blues from the get-go. “Trane’s Blues” is a good start, as is “C-Jam Blues,” “Blue Monk, ” and “Straight, No Chaser.”

2. Blue Bossa

One of my favorite tunes. I think the best version is the original, from Joe Henderson’s CD “Page One.” There are only a few changes in this song, with some ii-V-I progressions and a nice modulation from the ‘B’ section back to the ‘A’. This song also gets called at pretty much every single jam session, so it’s a vital tune to learn outright. Blue Bossa is a great bridge tune between a blues and traditional jazz song.

3. All the Things You Are

I would consider this Hammerstein and Kern song one of the more difficult of the beginner songs, if that makes sense. It’s a 32-bar song with a very cool intro. There are plenty of ii-V-I changes and a few #9 and #5 dominant 7th chords to give you some color to play with.

4. Impressions

Two chords, that’s it. Buyer beware, however, this is a lot harder than you think. It’s very hard to sound good and keep the listener interested in what you’re doing if you only have two chords to play with. I chose this as a beginner song, however, because (a) the sooner you start to play with modal tunes, the better; (b) the simple chords will help you to feel more comfortable about getting out of your comfort zone and start to play what you hear in your head without having to strain your brain remembering the chord changes.

5. What Is This Thing Called Love?

Another one of my favorites. This song is, essentially, a collection of ii-V-I changes strung together, with a few transition chords thrown in to tie it all together. The melody is great, and the song will give you plenty of material to work with.

I suggest you try and steer away from the fakebooks if you can. I still have trouble with it (need more gingko) but if you can learn from the records that’s the best method. The Jamey Aebersold playalong series is phenomenal, as is using Band In A Box to generate your own backing tracks.