{"id":18039,"date":"2025-11-23T18:13:45","date_gmt":"2025-11-23T17:13:45","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jazzguitar.be\/blog\/?p=18039"},"modified":"2026-02-15T21:41:45","modified_gmt":"2026-02-15T20:41:45","slug":"cry-me-a-river-guitar-melody","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jazzguitar.be\/blog\/cry-me-a-river-guitar-melody\/","title":{"rendered":"Cry Me a River – Jazz Guitar Chord Melody"},"content":{"rendered":"

Arthur Hamilton composed Cry Me a River in 1953. The tune gained wide attention when Julie London recorded it two years later, with Barney Kessel on guitar. It has since become a jazz standard, recorded by Joe Pass, Diana Krall, and many others.<\/p>\n

\"Cry<\/p>\n

In this lesson, you will learn a chord-melody version played over a backing track.<\/p>\n

Form:<\/strong> AABA (32 bars)
\nKey:<\/strong> Eb major<\/p>\n

Most of the melody in the A-sections<\/strong> stays inside the Eb major scale, going to the Eb blues scale<\/a> at the end of each section (bars 7, 15, and 31).<\/p>\n

The bridge<\/strong> modulates to G minor, with most of the melody in the G melodic minor scale<\/a>. The end of the bridge (bar 23) modulates to G major.<\/p>\n

The chords used for the harmonisation are mostly drop-2<\/a> and drop-3<\/a> voicings.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

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