All Of Me

All of Me was written in 1931 by Seymour Simons and Gerald Marks and later became a jazz standard. It’s especially popular with gypsy jazz players, but it works in any style.

The harmony of All of Me moves slowly (most chords last two bars), which makes it a good tune for beginners.

In this lesson, you will:

• Break down the chord progression (harmonic analysis)
• Learn the melody on guitar
• Build a simple single-note solo over the changes

 

 

Recommended listening:

• Django Reinhardt – Nuages (1940)
• Billie Holiday – Love Me, Love My Dog (1941)
• Frank Sinatra – Swing Easy! (1954)
• Sarah Vaughan and Her Trio – Swingin’ Easy (1957)
• The Oscar Peterson Trio – A Jazz Portrait of Frank Sinatra (1959)
• Ella Fitzgerald – Ella Swings Gently with Nelson (1962)
• George Benson – The George Benson Cookbook (1967)
• Biréli Lagrène Ensemble – Routes to Django (1980)
• Stochelo Rosenberg / Romane – Gypsy Guitar Masters (2005)
• Biréli Lagrène & WDR Big Band – Djangology (2006)
• Rosenberg / Lagrène / Debarre – The Alternative (2013)

 

All of Me – Video

 

All of Me – Melody

We’ll start with the melody of All of Me. It’s built from clear, singable phrases and mostly moves stepwise, which makes it easy to memorize and great for developing your feel and phrasing.

Guitar tabs and standard notation are included below.

 

Backing Track (made with Band in a Box)

Listen & Play-Along

 

All of Me – Analysis

Before we go on to the solo, let’s look at the harmonic structure of All of Me and the scales you can use over the changes.

The harmony is straightforward and built largely on secondary dominants and movement in fourths (following the circle of fifths), which makes it an excellent tune for understanding functional harmony and chord resolution.

Form: The tune is 32 bars long with an ABAC structure. The two A sections are identical, which makes the form easy to recognize once you’ve played it a few times.

Key: The Real Book version is in C major (as is the version in this lesson). The original recording is in Bb major.

 

 

C Major Scale and Bebop Scales

The C major scale works over all chords marked in blue in the analysis chart — these are the diatonic chords of C major.

 

As an alternative to the plain major scale, I use bebop scales in the solo. They add a passing tone, which helps create smoother eighth-note lines.

 

On major chords, you can use the major bebop scale (major scale + b6).

 

On dominant chords, use the dominant bebop scale (Mixolydian mode + natural 7).

 

On minor chords, use the minor bebop scale (Dorian mode + natural 7).

 

A Harmonic Minor Scale

E7 (bars 3-4, 9-10, 19-20) functions as a secondary dominant chord.

From Cmaj7 (bars 1-2), the progression moves to E7 (bars 3-4), which is the dominant chord of A7 (V of A7 or V/VI).

This I → V/VI movement is common in jazz standards and appears in tunes such as:

• Someday my Prince Will Come
• After You’ve Gone
• Come Rain or Come Shine
• I’ll Be Seeing You
• Basin Street Blues
• I Should Care
• On a Slow Boat to China

 

Two possible resolutions:

1) E7 → Am7 (bars 9-10)

 

When E7 resolves to Am7 (bar 9), it is called a secondary dominant and is notated as V/vi.

A secondary dominant is a dominant chord  that resolves to any chord other than the tonic (I).

 

2) E7 → A7 (bars 3-4, 19-20)

 

When E7 resolves to A7 (bar 3), it is called an extended dominant and is notated as V/VI.

An extended (secondary) dominant is a dominant chord that resolves to another dominant chord.

 

The scale of choice to play over E7 is A harmonic minor, also known as E Phrygian dominant or the E Mixolydian b9 b13.

This gives you the characteristic b9 and b13 tensions that define the sound of this dominant.

 

A harmonic minor scale	A	B	C	D	E	F	G#
Played over E7	11	5	b13	b7	1	b9	3

 

D Harmonic Minor Scale

The A7 (bars 5-6, 21-22, 28, 31) is a secondary dominant that resolves to Dm7 (IIm7).

The scale of choice here is D harmonic minor. When played from A, this scale is also known as A Phrygian dominant.

 

 

D Mixolydian Mode

D7 (bars 13-14) is the classic secondary dominant in the key of C major. It is notated as V/V (the dominant of the dominant) because it resolves to G7, which then resolves to C.

 

 

This V/V → V → I movement is extremely common in jazz standards. You’ll find it in tunes such as:

• Days of Wine and Roses
• Don’t Get Around Much Anymore
• Just Friends

 

The scale of choice over D7 is D Mixolydian, the 5th mode of the G major scale.

 

F Melodic Minor Scale

The Fm7 chord (bar 26) is the iv minor (ivm) in the key of C major and is an example of modal interchange.

This chord is borrowed from the parallel minor key (C minor). Borrowing the ivm from the minor key is very common in both pop and jazz. It appears in standards such as:

• Fly Me to the Moon
• How Deep is the Ocean
• How High the Moon

It’s often placed between IV and I, creating a smooth chromatic voice leading:

• A (3rd of Fmaj7)
• Ab (b3 of Fm7)
• G (5th of Cmaj7)

 

 

The scale of choice to play over Fm7 (as a ivm) is F melodic minor. This scale highlights the characteristic Ab (b3) while keeping the natural 6 (D), which gives the chord a slightly brighter minor sound.

 

 

All of Me – Solo

This solo is built primarily from arpeggios and bebop scales, keeping the harmony clear and the lines simple.