Falling Grace - Solo Guitar (Jake Reichbart)

[Jake Reichbart]

Welcome to my 652nd solo guitar arrangement video on YouTube "Falling Grace" written by Steve Swallow and originally, as far as I know, appearing on the Gary Burton album "The Time Machine". I don't know if officially there is such a thing but this sounds to me like a "Boston/Berklee Standard", continuing to be performed by the likes of Pat Metheny, John Scofield, and others of that vibe... Anyway, although I knew the name of this tune having had a real book since the mid 80's, I never paid any attention to it but have finally discovered how great it is. Not really happy with my performance here but not in a bad way, more like this is a tune one can continue to play for decades and discover new things, which I intend to do. I also think I have done a good job this year balancing arranging favorite childhood pop and rock songs with more serious compositions such as "Mas Alla" by Metheny, "Sphere of Innocence" by Holdsworth and "Windows" by Chick Corea, and now this one... Would love to see fellow guitarists here post their solo guitar versions, kind of like a challenge. Thanks, Jake

[Jake Reichbart]

Hmm, less of an important standard than I thought... All the things you are, coming right up... Again...

[charleyrich99]

Welcome to my 652nd solo guitar arrangement video on YouTube "Falling Grace" written by Steve Swallow and originally, as far as I know, appearing on the Gary Burton album "The Time Machine". I don't know if officially there is such a thing but this sounds to me like a "Boston/Berklee Standard", continuing to be performed by the likes of Pat Metheny, John Scofield, and others of that vibe... Anyway, although I knew the name of this tune having had a real book since the mid 80's, I never paid any attention to it but have finally discovered how great it is. Not really happy with my performance here but not in a bad way, more like this is a tune one can continue to play for decades and discover new things, which I intend to do. I also think I have done a good job this year balancing arranging favorite childhood pop and rock songs with more serious compositions such as "Mas Alla" by Metheny, "Sphere of Innocence" by Holdsworth and "Windows" by Chick Corea, and now this one... Would love to see fellow guitarists here post their solo guitar versions, kind of like a challenge. Thanks, Jake

Absolutely beautiful!

[marcwhy]

Hey, great version, Jake - thanks for posting! Really nice!

[This tune kicks my butt, so I like hearing what people do with it!]

Swallow was an amazing composer, and I wish people played more of his tunes!

[and hey, nothing wrong with a good "Berklee standard!"]

Here are some other slackers playing it:

Chicago cats:

Young Kurt:

Some old dude with some young dude:

And another chord melody for you:

[pan60]

I loved it Mr Jake Reichbart!

[tbeltrans]

Nice work as usual Jake! I just wanted to duck in here to comment on Jake's lessons since I don't see much about this around here:

Jake Reichbart - Solo Fingerstyle Guitar Arrangements | Jake Reichbart downloadable guitar lessons

He will take one tune per lesson and spend easily an hour and a half on it, showing all manner of ways to approach it as a fingerstyle solo - reharms, stylistic approaches, etc. Rather than learning it note for note as a carbon copy of his youtube performance, you really end up with many ways to play various sections of it such that you play it your way, but definitely influenced by his teaching. You can learn it much the way he played it if you want to, but you don't have to. He covers that aspect and so much more in each lesson. What you really end up with after a few tunes taught like this is your own toolbox to arrange whatever you want.

In conversation with Robert Conti, whose lessons I have also benefited much from, he says that Jake is "one of the good ones". As those who have talked to Conti know, he takes a rather dim view of the plethora of guitar teachers on the internet who don't lead you in productive directions. But he definitely doesn't count Jake among those.

Tony

[Jake Reichbart]

Absolutely beautiful!

Thank you!

[Cunamara]

Hmm, less of an important standard than I thought... All the things you are, coming right up... Again...

I don't know that it's "less important" although certainly less known to the average jazz audience (whatever that even is. Jazz fans are far from average). For those who are devotees of Mr. Goodchord, this was one of his favorite songs and one that he used to teach and played frequently. I read somewhere that he worked out something like 50 different ways to get through this song and wrote them all down.

Personally, I have never gotten this tune. I've listened to quite a number of performances and it seems like few musicians get all the way through a chorus before they start improvising over it. I've rarely heard the literal melody from beginning to end, so that was nice (and thanks for the other examples as well. I particularly enjoyed Tim and Mick).

Kudos for taking it on.

[Jake Reichbart]

Thanks so much, very kind of you! :-)

Nice work as usual Jake! I just wanted to duck in here to comment on Jake's lessons since I don't see much about this around here:

Jake Reichbart - Solo Fingerstyle Guitar Arrangements | Jake Reichbart downloadable guitar lessons

He will take one tune per lesson and spend easily an hour and a half on it, showing all manner of ways to approach it as a fingerstyle solo - reharms, stylistic approaches, etc. Rather than learning it note for note as a carbon copy of his youtube performance, you really end up with many ways to play various sections of it such that you play it your way, but definitely influenced by his teaching. You can learn it much the way he played it if you want to, but you don't have to. He covers that aspect and so much more in each lesson. What you really end up with after a few tunes taught like this is your own toolbox to arrange whatever you want.

In conversation with Robert Conti, whose lessons I have also benefited much from, he says that Jake is "one of the good ones". As those who have talked to Conti know, he takes a rather dim view of the plethora of guitar teachers on the internet who don't lead you in productive directions. But he definitely doesn't count Jake among those.

Tony

[Jake Reichbart]

Thanks for checking it out!

I don't know that it's "less important" although certainly less known to the average jazz audience (whatever that even is. Jazz fans are far from average). For those who are devotees of Mr. Goodchord, this was one of his favorite songs and one that he used to teach and played frequently. I read somewhere that he worked out something like 50 different ways to get through this song and wrote them all down.

Personally, I have never gotten this tune. I've listened to quite a number of performances and it seems like few musicians get all the way through a chorus before they start improvising over it. I've rarely heard the literal melody from beginning to end, so that was nice (and thanks for the other examples as well. I particularly enjoyed Tim and Mick).

Kudos for taking it on.

[Cunamara]

Thanks for checking it out!

Thanks for sharing it with us! I'm making a point of listening to this multiple times in hopes of "getting" this tune.

[Jake Reichbart]

Thanks for sharing it with us! I'm making a point of listening to this multiple times in hopes of "getting" this tune.

Music is interesting that way, for me it's been two weeks of this tune running, and improvising on, almost nonstop in my head. I guess I fell in love with the angular feel of the harmony, you play a chord or two and immediately you have to take a sharp turn somewhere. For me this tune has unlocked an infinite wealth of possibilities to navigate the changes. The other night I played it twice in an evening in different sets some 10 minutes each time, I got hooked, lol. Pat Metheny was undoubtedly influenced by this tune, the bridge of James, for example, bears a resemblance, or let's say a connection. The Kurt Rosenwinkel version above is amazing.

[Cunamara]

That's a good point, there are tunes that just have to keep turning around in my conscious and unconscious mind and eventually I "get" them. Fun when it happens. The tune doesn't have to be complex (e.g., This I Dig Of You), it just has to do something I am not used to (the repeated ii-I cadence, for some silly reason).

Interesting connection between James and Falling Grace.

[Rolf Field]

Really nice Jake. Keep those vid's coming.

[Jake Reichbart]

Really nice Jake. Keep those vid's coming.

Thank you, definitely more coming!

[Cal45m]

Congrats on #652! That’s a serious body of work, and “Falling Grace” is a beautiful and often underrated choice. Totally agree it feels like a Berklee standard, harmonically rich and endlessly explorable. Loved your take on balancing deep jazz cuts with nostalgic pop/rock this year, inspiring stuff.

[Jake Reichbart]

Congrats on #652! That’s a serious body of work, and “Falling Grace” is a beautiful and often underrated choice. Totally agree it feels like a Berklee standard, harmonically rich and endlessly explorable. Loved your take on balancing deep jazz cuts with nostalgic pop/rock this year, inspiring stuff.

Thanks!! :-)