Your favorite/best standards for chord melodies

[SammieWammie]

Just curious what ones you think work well for guitar, sound good on guitar etc.

[jtizzle]

I like Stella By Starlight a lot. There's a lot of things you can do with it, make it sound really out, modern, or make it sound really traditional.

I'm working on some other tunes though, like Reflections and Quiet Now, and those are really great songs that have their own taste to it.

[voelker]

I like In A Sentimental Mood

[fep]

For Chord Melody, I like standards with a lot of chords, for me it makes it easier to come up with a chord melody... they kind of write themselves.

Like 'All the Things You Are' or 'Body and Soul'.

[mr. beaumont]

I go in cycles with favorites, but I tend to think the same way as Fep...tunes with lots of chords end up being really fun to do.

I really love "Autumn in New York," "Laura" and "My One and Only Love." I arranged those three about 2 years ago and I still play them often.

Recently, I've arranged "Goodbye" and I've been reminded of what a beautiful tune that is. "I'm Glad there is You" is next on my list.

And yeah, "Stella" is a great one. Actually, it's just one of the best songs ever written.

What can I say, I love a good ballad...

[Tom Karol]

Not necessarily my favorites, but the ones I feel I do best:
All The Things You Are
Autumn Leaves
Here's That Rainy Day
Moonlight In Vermont
I can do (and am working on) others, but those are my 'go to' tunes when playing solo.

[kenbennett]

Chord melodies that I've recently arranged...

"Stella By Starlight"

"You Go To My Head" - My gig is not jazz, but I use a few jazz tunes when the mood is right. This is the ballad I usually go to.

Chord melodies that I have transcribed or learned from someone else's transcription...

"The Days of Wine and Roses" - I learned Wes Montgomery's version of this tune. It's instructive in the use of diminished chords to harmonize passing tones in the melody. It's a good technique to use when there are "not enough chords" to keep the harmonic movement going.

These three I copied from Hank Garland whose style of harmonizing a melody reminds me of Wes...

"Ain't Nothing Wrong With That, Baby!" - I still play this one, head and solo, exactly like Hank did. Well, same notes anyway...

"Secret Love"

"Autumn Leaves"

[JakeAcci]

I haven't found any except Prelude to a Kiss!

[davekain]

A Nightingale Sang In Berkley Square
I've Never Been In Love Before
Without A Song
How Deep Is The Ocean

[Dad3353]

Favourite..? 'Misty'. Best..? The question is too open, there are so many...

[zigzag]

I love "'Round Midnight" though I've never done/seen an arrangement with a chord melody. I also love the chord progression in "My Funny Valentine" though I've never done/seen an arrangement for a chord melody for it, either. So... nevermind.

[mr. beaumont]

I actually posted a chord melody of 'Round Midnight back when that was the standard of the month.

It was a fun one to arrange...kinda tricky to improvise on in a solo setting...in a group I like to go for more singing, bluesy lines on this one, but in a solo setting I wanted to make sure I hinted at the chords more...

Anyway, look it up, and feel free to steal anything you like.

[eddy b.]

"Mood Indigo","Just Squeeze Me", "Moonlight Serenade","Moon Glow","Sunny Side of the Street" "A train" Ellington tunes are great on guitar...Glen Miller tunes too!

[wizard3739]

I prefer Ballads with lots of chords because the more complex harmonic structure leads to more interesting and melodic chord melodies. Some of my favorites are:

When Sunny Gets Blue
You Go To My Head
The End of A Love Affair
Darn That Dream
I'm Old Fashioned
I Remember You
A Face Like Yours
Just Squeeze Me
I've Never Been In Love Before
Here's That Rainy Day

wiz

[Gerard45]

Tenderly
Misty
Moonlight in Vermont
Tune Up
Lady Bird
Out of nowhere
You go to my head

[SammieWammie]

Lady bird and Tune up, really? I arranged those one a while ago since I already knew them, this was when I knew hardly any jazz tunes. And both of those I think are terrible as chord melodies... melodies are too boring. I don't know the others though.

[jckoto3]

Originally Posted by zigzag

I love "'Round Midnight" though I've never done/seen an arrangement with a chord melody.[...]

Well, you're in for a little treat -- Here's a really nice Don Mock arrangement with tons of great counterpoint.

YouTube Video

Here's the direct link:

Don Mock - Round Midnight - YouTube

[TruthHertz]

How Deep is the Ocean
I fall in love too easily
Someone to Watch Over Me
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
A Nightingale Sang In Barkley Square
Embraceable You
How Long Has This Been Going On
And I Love Her
For No One
She's Leaving Home
For Free (Joni Mitchell)
Lots of tunes by Burt Bacharach and Jimmy Webb...
I like to do a mash up of My Funny Valentine and Stairway to Heaven
a mash up of Someone to Watch Over Me and In a Sentimental Mood
It Might As Well Be Spring and Happy Birthday

David

[Jazzaluk]

Nice choices Truthhertz. I especially like the happy birthday mash idea. A cool way to acknowledge a birthday and get back into the set.

[zigzag]

Originally Posted by jckoto3

Well, you're in for a little treat -- Here's a really nice Don Mock arrangement with tons of great counterpoint.

Don Mock - Round Midnight - YouTube

Very nice... and done on a LP, too... sweet.

[Hypno]

At the top of the list currently would be Peel Me A Grape and Bewitched.

[Tom Karol]

Here's my latest set list (alphabetical order) for a solid hour of solo playing. I use my T-5 clone in this context, so I can get jazz tone for the standards, acoustic-like tone for the two contemporary covers, and Chet Atkins-style mellow twang for 'Sleepwalk'.

All The Things You Are
Autumn Leaves
Georgia On My Mind
Here’s That Rainy Day
I Don’t know Why (Shawn Colvin)
Misty
Moonlight In Vermont
Polka Dots and Moonbeams
Sleepwalk
Somewhere Over The Rainbow
Summertime
Tears in Heaven (Eric Clapton)
There Will Never Be Another You
Till There Was You
Plus 3 originals