Solo Guitar Tune #5 - Moon River

**PaulW10** · 05-07-2018, 01:48 PM

Originally Posted by lawson-stone

Here is my first hand of "Moon River"-more of a thinking through the tune than a finished setting of it. I have a hard time thinking of more than one way to play some of the phrases, but I found a few new ones while doing this. A couple of times I surprised myself.

Also... when in doubt, I play the L5ces. Like a good horse carries a poor rider, the L5 always seems to know the way home.

Loved that Lawson. Great harmonies and feel!! And the tone is great!!

**PaulW10** · 05-07-2018, 01:51 PM

Originally Posted by jazzdan

Sounds great as always Dan! And nylon is so nice, especially for these especially pretty tunes!

**PaulW10** · 05-07-2018, 01:53 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Everything I played in 3 was cheeseball, so I consulted my rubber bracelet marked WWGGD? (What would Grant Green do) and played the tune in 4...so it got bluesy too...or something.

Hope you enjoy...phone was off auto rotate again.

That was very creative Jeff. Great take on it. And I really liked the edginess of the improv, at one point I was thinking you were falling off the edge and you rolled it back in right to the tune. Nice!!

**PaulD** · 05-07-2018, 08:13 PM

I was inspired to try it in 4 by Jeff's version...

**John A.** · 05-07-2018, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by PaulD

I was inspired to try it in 4 by Jeff's version...

Great!

John

**PaulW10** · 05-08-2018, 03:19 PM

Originally Posted by PaulD

I was inspired to try it in 4 by Jeff's version...

Very nice!!!

**Hyppolyte Bergamotte** · 05-11-2018, 03:02 AM

still waiting your version papawooly,with the dark Beauty !

**jazzdan** · 05-11-2018, 07:50 AM

Thanks, I appreciate the encouragement...I'm loving this forum....can't believe we already have five tunes! Fun to hear all the different takes on the same song and I enjoy posting my own.

**MGranada** · 05-11-2018, 09:41 AM

Hi all, i did a version of Moon River couple of days ago.
I thought i would share it here.
Hope you guys like it.

Cheers

**joe2758** · 05-11-2018, 01:02 PM

are you going to do another poll for June?

**PaulW10** · 05-11-2018, 01:11 PM

Originally Posted by MGranada

Hi all, i did a version of Moon River couple of days ago.
I thought i would share it here.
Hope you guys like it.

Cheers

That was beautiful. Great arrangement, playing and tone. Thanks for posting!

**PaulW10** · 05-11-2018, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by joe2758

are you going to do another poll for June?

Yes I think we should Joe. I will post it!

Which also means I 'd better record and post my own version of Moon River. I'm lagging behind again!

**PaulW10** · 05-12-2018, 04:07 PM

Did anyone else think this was a tough one? My version's not too jazzy I know. I was going to go for a second time through at regular speed and then decided against it!

**matt.guitarteacher** · 05-13-2018, 02:21 PM

Originally Posted by PaulW10

Did anyone else think this was a tough one? My version's not too jazzy I know. I was going to go for a second time through at regular speed and then decided against it!

Yeah. This one almost doesn't have enough real estate if you're working in quarter notes or eighth notes. You really have to shed this in a 9/8 feel to start getting enough "space" to add anything or do something rhythmically.

Shouldn't say anything, as I haven't posted anything on this one. I'll try to make some time.

Anyway, always enjoy what you do.

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

**matt.guitarteacher** · 05-13-2018, 09:37 PM

Originally Posted by PaulW10

Did anyone else think this was a tough one? My version's not too jazzy I know. I was going to go for a second time through at regular speed and then decided against it!

Plugged this in while in the car, and i really like your phrasing on this. I guess you're talking more about harmony with your "not too jazzy..." assessment? Anyway I dig it, but I've really enjoyed you've playing on everything. Thanks for posting.

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**jazzdan** · 05-14-2018, 12:09 AM

Beautiful job! Loved it

**matt.guitarteacher** · 05-14-2018, 01:24 AM

Very impromptu. Just for fun...

Solo guitar at 1:45.

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**jazzdan** · 05-14-2018, 09:10 AM

Enjoyed my cereal while listening to your singing and playing this morning.....love that nylon and your duet partner isn't bad either!! That was fun.

**lawson-stone** · 05-14-2018, 09:34 AM

Originally Posted by matt.guitarteacher

Very impromptu. Just for fun...

Solo guitar at 1:45.

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

Rule One: Music should be fun! was clearly executed with maximum expertise! So nice!

I loved the pulse you maintained. With ballads and 3/4 the pulse is normally the first casualty.

nicely played and sung. Loved the "Fatherly Stare of Death" at about 3:05 or so!

**joe2758** · 05-14-2018, 10:23 AM

matt, that take was perfection

**matt.guitarteacher** · 05-14-2018, 11:00 AM

Originally Posted by lawson-stone

Rule One: Music should be fun! was clearly executed with maximum expertise! So nice!

I loved the pulse you maintained. With ballads and 3/4 the pulse is normally the first casualty.

nicely played and sung. Loved the "Fatherly Stare of Death" at about 3:05 or so!

Originally Posted by joe2758

matt, that take was perfection

Thanks so much.

I was really struck by how much more relaxing it is playing this with someone else. Common sense I guess, but I tend to chalk much of the red light syndrome up to jazz just being more difficult or whatever.

Lots of surprises for me (from her) while playing this, and it really loosened some things up for me. She didn't really know this one and said so. (She just heard me playing through several times while we were watching TV). On a whim, I said "come here a sec", and we read through.

Anyway, I really enjoyed the "mistakes" in her melody, and the hums. The whistling took me completely off guard, and then the cadenza at the end.... Ha. Too much Louis and Ella on her iPad. If we had recorded it five more times and rehearsed to perfection, I don't think I would've enjoyed it any better. Pure fun.

Sorry for cheating the format. Apologies to all. This is my Mulligan. :-)

**PaulW10** · 05-14-2018, 11:21 AM

Originally Posted by matt.guitarteacher

Plugged this in while in the car, and i really like your phrasing on this. I guess you're talking more about harmony with your "not too jazzy..." assessment? Anyway I dig it, but I've really enjoyed you've playing on everything. Thanks for posting.

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

Thanks very much Matt. Those are very kind words. I sincerely appreciate it!

Paul

**PaulW10** · 05-14-2018, 11:27 AM

Originally Posted by matt.guitarteacher

Very impromptu. Just for fun...

Solo guitar at 1:45.

Sent from my SM-J727P using Tapatalk

That was truly great! We may need to do a new format!!! Very enjoyable to hear.

**John A.** · 05-14-2018, 11:52 AM

Originally Posted by PaulW10

Did anyone else think this was a tough one? My version's not too jazzy I know. I was going to go for a second time through at regular speed and then decided against it!

I definitely found it difficult to put together a solo improv using 1/8th notes. I tried several times, but I kept losing the time and drifting into 4/4 when I did. The guys who actually did the whole tune in 4 seemed to do best at setting up a groove. Maybe with a group it could be more of a blowing tune in 3, but solo, it's tough. But that's not a bad thing -- Mancini intended it to feel like a folk song, so It's OK to build on that.

John

**PaulW10** · 05-14-2018, 12:07 PM

Originally Posted by John A.

I definitely found it difficult to put together a solo improv using 1/8th notes. I tried several times, but I kept losing the time and drifting into 4/4 when I did. The guys who actually did the whole tune in 4 seemed to do best at setting up a groove. Maybe with a group it could be more of a blowing tune in 3, but solo, it's tough. But that's not a bad thing -- Mancini intended it to feel like a folk song, so It's OK to build on that.

John

Yes I think folk song is a good analogy. The timing would be tough for improvising. I've always liked this song a lot and thought it would be a good solo guitar vehicle because it has in my opinion the number one thing for solo guitar and that's a beautiful melody. But if the song is too pretty and "folky" like this one, it's tough to reharmonize too much as the regular reharmonizing "vehicles" can take away the essence of the pretty melody. It's sort of like trying to put a jazz flavor to "The Water is Wide". it doesn't always work.