Knowing “Jazz boys,” it is not a ridiculous thing to say that they can play Jazz on anything. I remember seeing Buddy Rich break a skin on his snare. He then proceeded to walk around the stage, playing everything and anything. Including the floor of the stage itself and the back of a Double Bass, while they changed it.
Having said that, there are some common Jazz instruments that you will find used more than others. There is a reason for this, of course, so let’s take a look at the most popular jazz instruments.
The 7 Most Popular Jazz Instruments
Drums
Let’s start with the drummer. Often left somewhat in the background, the role of the rhythm section, that is, drums and bass, is vital. Without them, nothing will work. Apart from Buddy Rich and Max Roach, and one or two others, the drummer is rarely the band leader.
They might look like they are in the background. But anyone who has been to a Buddy Rich concert will know you can hardly say he is in the background.
Jazz drummers will usually use a four-piece drum kit that has two cymbals and a hi-hat. There are various options in terms of sizes of the drums, but you will often find the following:
[bl]- 18 x 14-inch bass drum.
- 14 x 14-inch floor tom.
- 12 x 8-inch racked tom.
- 14 x 5-inch snare drum.
Cymbals
Most modern Pop and Rock drum kits have both crash and ride cymbals. Jazz drummers tend to use two ride cymbals. Get a decent brand, and the ride can also double up as a crash, if needed. A usual combination is a 22-inch ride cymbal on the right and a 20-inch ride on the left.
Hi-Hat
A good size for the hi-hat cymbals for jazz is 14 inches.
Drumsticks
Playing Jazz drums often requires extremely fast stick movements. Many Jazz drummers, therefore, use Maple for their sticks. Long-lasting, consuming the most power, they are also lightweight. Size 7A is often a good choice.
Take a listen to how Buddy Rich makes a huge impact on his kit. And, if anyone came close to Buddy, it was Gene Krupa. As an alternative style, try Louie Bellson.
Great Jazz Drummers
[bl]- Buddy Rich.
- Gene Krupa.
- Roy Haynes.
- Max Roach.
- Louie Bellson.
- Art Blakey.
Double Bass
The bass works with the drums to provide the foundation for the music. The Double Bass began to be used in Jazz in the 1890s. It provided those familiar “walking” bass lines working in conjunction with the chord patterns and playing with the drummer.
The Double Bass was prominent throughout the 1920s and 30s, during the Big Band and Swing eras, and into the Bepop of the 1940s and 50s. It provided an anchor for everything from the big jazz bands to the smaller combos.
Groove
Whatever the bass player is doing, be it a walking bass line or soloing, as some did, the aim was to create a rhythm. A groove and a sense of swing.
There were two potential problems with the Double Bass in certain environments. Firstly, it is cumbersome to carry around. Secondly, you relied on the volume that the instrument generated itself. In some Big Band environments, the sound could get lost.
Enter electric bass guitars…
First produced by Fender in the 50s, these gave an option if you needed more volume. Whilst many of the double bass players chose to stay with their instrument, the latter end of the 60s and early 70s saw a sub-genre emerge.
A fusion of Jazz and Rock music using electric instruments created a new style of Jazz. Most Jazz players tend to specialize in one type of bass. Although, there are people who have achieved virtuoso status on both the double bass and electric bass. Stanley Clarke and John Patitucci are two.
There are options for purchasing a Jazz bass instrument. Both of these are suitable for beginners:
[bl]- Cecilio CDB Size 4/4 Black Upright Double Bass.
- Fender Player Jazz Electric Bass Guitar.
Great Jazz Bass Players
[bl]- Stanley Clarke.
- Ray Brown.
- John Patitucci.
- Jaco Pastorius
- Jimmy Blanton.
Ray Brown, married to Ella Fitzgerald, was one of the greatest Jazz bass players, in my opinion. You can learn a lot about how to play the instrument just by listening to him. Here is a recording made during his time with Dizzy Gillespie.
The Guitar
The use of the guitar in Jazz can be somewhat different from that in other genres. It is often used as part of the rhythm section, which is why I have placed it behind the drums and the bass.
It has been a permanent fixture in most Jazz environments, from small combos to big bands. However, in the 1930s, with the advent of Big Bands, it suffered the same problems as the Double Bass. It could easily get swallowed up in the sound.
In the early days…
The guitars were all acoustic. And, while some jazz guitarists still play acoustic guitars, most have moved to semi-acoustic.
But, in the last fifty or so years, most have gone with the semi-acoustic with a pickup and an amplifier. The plus side of that is jazz guitarists can now play solos and be heard in the mix.
The Jazz Guitar
It is traditionally made with the famed archtop design and a broader sound box. They have F-holes and a floating bridge, and, of course, a pickup. The Gibson ES-175 is the holy grail of Jazz Guitars for many people.
This single cutaway has been made continuously since 1949. But there are alternatives. George Benson usually used an Ibanez, for example.
How it’s played…
There are two different styles of playing jazz on guitar. There is “blowing” or, in other words improvising over a set of jazz chord progressions. This allows the player to use different phrasing, which should add to the sound.
Then there is “comping,” which is the guitarist playing chords without improvisation under another player’s solo or just the melody. You might say that “comping” is when the guitar becomes part of the rhythm section with bass and drums.
Over the years, there have been some great jazz guitarists and experts in both requirements. Take a listen to Django Reinhardt or Wes Montgomery.
Great Jazz Guitarists
[bl]- Django Reinhardt.
- Wes Montgomery.
- Barney Kessel.
- George Benson.
- Charlie Christian.
The Piano
The piano is usually considered an essential instrument in Jazz. It operates in a similar way to the guitar. It can be part of the groundwork of the music, or it can solo and take the lead.
And it sits comfortably in all the jazz styles. From Ragtime through Bebop and beyond, it has been a critical element in the development of Jazz styles.
Controlled Improvisation
Does that sound like a contradiction in terms? Not really. If you have worked with a Jazz musician, you will know that they don’t just pluck notes out of the air. Any improvisations are carefully constructed within the framework of the piece.
It is performed freely, and there is a certain flexibility around the rhythms utilized. But, it is always under control and contributes to the music. You could say that a great jazz pianist is effective in redefining some of the phrases within the music to elevate it to a higher level.
There have been some iconic jazz pianists, and there is no space to list them all. Let’s just choose a few.
Great Jazz Pianists
[bl]- Scott Joplin.
- Art Tatum.
- Theolonius Monk
- Oscar Peterson
- Herbie Hancock.
The Clarinet
Possibly not as popular as some of the other core Jazz instruments, the clarinet nevertheless has had an important role to play. Not all Jazz is driving along at a frantic pace. Sometimes, it just needs a gentle sound. The clarinet provides that.
What was the biggest selling single of 1962 that stayed on the chart for over 50 weeks? Something by The Beatles, you might think. It was Acker Bilk and his clarinet piece, “Stranger On The Shore.”
Not what most people would call Jazz…
But, it demonstrates how the clarinet can offer something different. It also made him the second British artist to go to #1 in America after “Telstar” by The Tornadoes in the same year.
Perhaps the biggest and most successful name for the clarinet in Jazz was Benny Goodman. He brought us what you could describe as “Cool Jazz.” There have been some great jazz clarinetists over the years:
[bl]- Benny Goodman.
- Artie Shaw.
- Acker Bilk.
- Sidney Bechet.
The Trumpet
Needless to say, the trumpet is one of the most popular Jazz instruments. I suppose it is often seen as the lead instrument in Jazz because it is the loudest. The trumpet has been at the forefront of Jazz since it began.
A trip through the history of the trumpet in Jazz is the same as a trip through the history of Jazz itself. Its bright sound gives it something special and offers an audible contrast to the other instruments around it.
Some of the best Jazz albums ever recorded had the trumpet as the focal point. Especially Kind of Blue by Miles Davis, which is thought of as the greatest jazz album ever. Or, in a slightly different mood, An Electrifying Evening With The Dizzy Gillespie Quintet.
Outstanding Jazz Trumpet Players
[bl]- Louis Armstrong,
- Dizzy Gillepsie.
- Miles Davis.
- Cliff Brown.
- Maynard Ferguson.
The Saxophone
Another instrument that is often considered the lead instrument in Jazz. When people get a mental picture of a Jazz musician, it might well be someone playing the saxophone.
It is an instrument that did more than contribute to the Jazz sound. It helped to define the journey that Jazz had to make as it progressed. The arrival of Bebop in the 40s was challenging technically and harmonically.
That was just the start…
It was Charlie Parker and his kind, mostly all sax players, that pushed Jazz to new heights. The saxophone, along with the trumpet, may have had more influence on the way that Jazz has developed than any other instrument.
Some of the greatest ever Jazz musicians played the sax:
[bl]- Charlie Parker.
- Sonny Rollins.
- John Coltrane.
- Cannonball Adderley.
- Ornette Coleman.
- Stan Getz.
Want to Learn About the Greatest Jazz Musicians and Music?
If so, take a look at our detailed articles on the Top 22 Best Jazz Songs, the Best Jazz Musicians of All Time, the Best Jazz Saxophone Players, and Popular Jazz and Blues Songs for Female Vocalists for more great musical selections.
The Most Popular Jazz Instruments – Final Thoughts
So, that is a brief list of the most commonly used instruments in Jazz. Some of them, of course, are vital, and you couldn’t do without them. However, that probably applies to nearly all of them.
But, as I said earlier, some of these jazz musicians will get a tune out of anything. These, though, are the instruments you are nearly always going to find playing Jazz.
Until next time, play on players.
