Autumn leaves chord melody

[seagullc]

Hey guys

Im still fairly new to jazz playing (about a year or two) , I know only a few chord melodies - all the things you are, st. thomas, all of me, softly as in a morning sunrise

here is a chord melody i wrote over the last few days. the thing is, i play through the melody once and im not sure what to do after that - the recording is short.

please let me know what you think of my playing as well as some tips of what to play after finishing the head (single note soloing sounds kind of sparse, but comping ends up boring..)

thanks in advance!

ps: also let me know what you think of the recording quality, i plan to apply to mcgill for music and they require a recording tape of professional quality - this is my own home recording but i think it sounds quite good (im not using this in my application, but ill be using the same recording techniques)

[Bigmagic]

I would suggest you visit lickbyneck.com and Download Autumm Leaves and learn it. I think your recording sound wise is ok for an audition demo but the arrangement needs work. I applaud you for putting yourself out there and I look forward to hearing more stuff from you.

[seagullc]

That arrangement is fairly similar to mine, except in a different key. The main difference is that they made the 3 quarter note lead in's into chords rather than leaving them single notes like I did - I'll give their approach a try. Seems incorporating a bass-line would be good too. Thanks for the comment.

[Bigmagic]

A bass line would improve any chord melody, it also can create contrary motion which can be interesting. I just got into Autumn Leaves myself so I'm no expert on the tune. I'm mostly familiar with the Stanley Jordan version which is much faster than most people play the tune. Good Luck and enjoy the journey.

[Meggy]

If I can put in a compliment, you have a nice swing and sensitivity too - I enjoyed your arrangement a lot! Have you heard Ted Greene playing this tune on YouTube? Quite staggering!

[seagullc]

Thanks, Meggy. I have heard Ted's version, it's incredible. I love how he fuses Baroque style with swing. That type of counterpoint would be great to incorporate with a bassline, so I'll post up a new version once I get it worked out.

[Meggy]

Originally Posted by seagullc

Thanks, Meggy. I have heard Ted's version, it's incredible. I love how he fuses Baroque style with swing. That type of counterpoint would be great to incorporate with a bassline, so I'll post up a new version once I get it worked out.

Your very wellcome seagullc, I wouldn't say it if I didn't mean it! and please do post that new version when you have it ready, I'd love to hear that too. When I first saw that Ted video I was just floored I must say. I knew him from his books, but had somehow got the idea he was rather academic and would sound a little bit mechanical or something, as a player. I know, the very idea! And in truth his playing has so much feeling, in addition to his amazing technique and depth of knowledge. How wrong can you be?

[jayv999]

If you're interested in Ted Greene's arrangement of "Autumn Leaves" go here:
TedGreene.com - Teachings
This is not the arrangement that he played for the MI seminar that is posted on YouTube, instead it's a version that he taught his students.
There's Ted's original hand-out sheet plus the compilation write-up with the fake book chart by Ted's student Paul.
Also included is a sketch of the tune, and a comping study (also written up with the chart). You'll need to understand Ted's diagrams to play it: Playing order is: solid dot, X, square, triangle, and star if needed. Open circles are optional notes, and tie lines are similar to standard notation (the note is held over).
You may find it helpful when working on transcribing Ted's live version, or it may give you some ideas when making your own arrangement.
--Jay

[SteveCarter]

Originally Posted by seagullc

Hey guys

Im still fairly new to jazz playing (about a year or two) , I know only a few chord melodies - all the things you are, st. thomas, all of me, softly as in a morning sunrise

here is a chord melody i wrote over the last few days. the thing is, i play through the melody once and im not sure what to do after that - the recording is short.

please let me know what you think of my playing as well as some tips of what to play after finishing the head (single note soloing sounds kind of sparse, but comping ends up boring..)

thanks in advance!

ps: also let me know what you think of the recording quality, i plan to apply to mcgill for music and they require a recording tape of professional quality - this is my own home recording but i think it sounds quite good (im not using this in my application, but ill be using the same recording techniques)

This is a good start. As others suggested in this thread, try adding bass lines, comping "kicks," etc. I have a few free lessons on my site for this tune that may gig you some ideas. Go to my lessons page:
http://frogstoryrecords.com/
and search for "Autumn." There's a walking bass sound clip, a comping example, and a guide tone line example. There are also other lessons that will show you the basics of walking bass, etc.

Also, check out my gig journal entry and sound clip of Autumn Leaves on this page:
http://frogstoryrecords.com/, which might give you some ideas.

Since you're applying to McGill, check out Greg Clayton, who teaches there. He was a student of mine at Berklee. His web site is http://www.gregclayton.com
There's an informative interview with him at http://www.jazzguitarlife.com.
/Jazz-Guitar-Life-Reviews-Greg-Clayton-JazzFest2009Gig.htm.

I think the quality of the recording is acceptable for an audition.

Steve