{"id":16368,"date":"2023-02-15T18:42:54","date_gmt":"2023-02-15T17:42:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jazzguitar.be\/blog\/?p=16368"},"modified":"2026-05-12T19:36:26","modified_gmt":"2026-05-12T17:36:26","slug":"groovin-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jazzguitar.be\/blog\/groovin-high\/","title":{"rendered":"Groovin’ High"},"content":{"rendered":"

Groovin’ High was written by Dizzy Gillespie in 1945. It became his best-known composition and one of the first famous bebop recordings. In this lesson, you will learn how to play the melody of Groovin’ High combined with chord hits.<\/p>\n

\"Dizzy<\/p>\n

Groovin’ High is a contrafact of Whispering<\/em>, first recorded in 1920 by bandleader Paul Whiteman<\/em> (also known as the “King of Jazz”).<\/p>\n

Dizzy Gillespie used the chord changes from Whispering<\/em> and wrote a new melody on top of it, with a faster tempo and a more complex harmony.<\/p>\n

A contrafact is a new melody written over an existing chord progression.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

This approach became popular in the bebop era, allowing musicians to create new, modern tunes using familiar chord progressions.<\/p>\n

The most famous recording of Groovin\u2019 High features Charlie Parker<\/a><\/em> alongside Gillespie, and includes an improvisation by jazz guitarist Remo Palmier<\/em>.<\/p>\n

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\"Jazz<\/a><\/p>\n

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Recommended Listening:<\/strong><\/p>\n