I'll be seeing you

[Sailor]

Can someone post the basic chord progression for I'll be seeing you. I have the lead sheet but it's very "vanilla" for the main chords and the itallicized (sp)
chords don't make good sense.

Thanks Sailor

[m78w]

Here ya go.

MW

[Sailor]

Many thanks, good workable version. Sailor.

[Sailor]

G+7 can be played as G7(#5)? Also when there are two measures of, say, Cm7, as a rule can you insert a descending minor cliche??

Thanks Sailor

[m78w]

the + sign signifies an augmented 5th, so G+7 and G7#5 are the same chord, just written differently.

And as a rule, most arrangers/improvisors will insert alternate chords whenever a chord lasts for more than one measure to spice things up.

MW

[Sailor]

Thanks matt

On my lead sheet they play Cm11, Cm7, Cbdim, Cm7 in place of G+7 is this a typical alternate or sub?? Is Fm7/Bb a Bbm6?

Thanks for your patience Sailor

[m78w]

That's not a typical sub for G+7 so I'm not sure what the arranger was going for there.

Fm7/Bb is the same thing as Bb7sus4, just written a different way.

MW

[Sailor]

here's the first four measures to see if it makes sense to you, (in Fmaj)

FM7 A7b9/ Dm11 Dm7 Dbdim Dm7/ Gm Adim/ GmBb D7b9/ on and on...

I'm using your version anyway but I still like your analysis so I can compare versions

Thanks, Sailor

[m78w]

Well the first bar is the I chord, Fmaj7, then the V7b9/vi chord, A7b9 leading to the vi, Dm7 in bar two.

Bar two is just a long Dm7, the Db (should be C#) dim7 chord is just a weird spelling of an A7b9 chord, the V7b9/vi. This is just to help give the bar the sense that we are actually in Dm and not just passing through it.

The next bar is the ii chord, Adim7 is D7b9/A so that's the V7b9 of Gm7, and the next bar is the same, though Gm is now in first inversion.

So if you were to break it down into it's basic chords it would be:

Fmaj7/Dm7/Gm7/Gm7/

or possibly

Fmaj7/Dm7/Gm7/C7

the chords that are added were probably transcribed from piano comping or an orchestral/big band arrangement where the horns/piano/strings play all those extra voicings.

MW

[Sailor]

Matt thanks so much, I hate to ask you to help me so much. I'm getting a teacher soon but it's hard to find someone really good; I've played guitar a long time and I want to get right to the meat of playing and arranging jazz standards like this one.

It seems like your analysis is right on and again comes down to a i-vi-ii-v-i!

Do you come across lead sheets where the chords are given in bold and italic chords are above. I never know whether to mix and match them or play one version or the other??

Thanks again for your help Sailor

[m78w]

Glad I could help.

Normally the changes in italics or in brackets above the standard changes are from a famous reharmonization or are commonly used only in the blowing section. What I normally do is try the simple changes first, then once I have the hang of those I'll start to through in the alternate changes.

And most jazz standards can be broken down to simple changes, it's just a matter of getting used to reading betwee the lines, or in this case the chords!

MW

[Sailor]

When I was taking upper level theory in college I had a professor that would spend a week analyzing a Beethoven sonata and reduce the whole thing to I-V-I! Not so easy with Bach though...

I'm dying to see another comping study like "there will never be another you"
Was that you or dirk playing;I learned so much from such a simple piece.
Maybe My one and only love, Cry me a river, These foolish things, etc....

I like reducing the chords and changing up the rhythms, what a great way to play guitar.

Sailor

[m78w]

Hey Sailor,
When you say comping study do you mean chord melody or just the chord voicings for the tune written out?

Let me know and I'll have all of the tunes you asked for up by tonight.

MW

[Sailor]

Hi Matt - the studies I'm referring to are the There will never be another you and Stella by Starlight ones; printable music with videos. I thought they me be yours but maybe dirks. They're called "comping studies" and have really changed the way I play. They are on this site somewhere. I like the partial chords, small melodic runs, and rhythms. I play and sing about 40 standards now but I usually just play the chords, (in many positions, inversions, alts, etc...) and learn the melodies. I'd love to see more standards done in this format. Very educational!

I think I can learn to apply this to most of my songs but I wouldn't mind seeing a few more i.e, My one and only love, Cry me a river, Stormy weather, etc...

Is this style played mostly behind soloists or continuously in swing or big band applications?

Thanks Sailor

[m78w]

I can write out comping studies on each of those tunes, but I don't have access to a video camera where I am. Those lessons were written by Dirk, they're great examples of playing in any situation. I like to mix up 4-5 note chords, triads, diads, lines, octaves etc when I'm comping behind any group. It's a great way to keep things interesting and avoids things becoming stale by only using one texture.

I'll post them in a new thread by this afternoon.

MW

[Sailor]

Thanks Matt - I'm glad you like dirks comping studies too; That is the style I had in mind when I first started thinking about playing jazz tunes. You're right about it keeping things from getting "stale". I hope that it becomes intuitive to approach songs in this way. I'm so used to just playing what's written and I have a feeling that this kind of stuff is probably, usually, not written but implied.

I just looked at your comping etudes and I have some work ahead of me!!

Thanks so much Sailor

[m78w]

Glad you dug the etudes. This stuff is like anything else, it just takes time and hard work. Once you start to get some of these etudes under your fingers you'll be making up your own in no time!

MW