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Hello All,
Welcome to the Solo Guitar Arranging Group! This is song thread #6, Stella by Starlight, which was the winner of a recent poll of song suggestions for the group to work on.
Players of all levels and abilities are welcome to participate here. Please join us!
Also, if you'd like to post arrangements of our prior songs, please do so on those song threads and keep them alive:
#1 Days of Wine and Roses
#2 Here's That Rainy Day
#3 Tenderly
#4 Shadow of your Smile
#5 Moon River
The idea is to start a different song thread periodically and encourage everyone to post a video or recording of how they would play/arrange that particular tune for solo guitar (i.e. with no other accompaniment).
Group Guidelines
Here are general guidelines for the group.
1. All levels of players are strongly encouraged to participate, from beginners on up. We hope the group may even be rewarded occasionally, if not often, with contributions by seasoned pros and prominent guitarists. However, no matter your skill level you are strongly encouraged to join in. If you are open to hearing constructive comments and suggestions from the group, please indicate so in your post (e.g. indicate "c&c welcome" in the title of your post).
2. The arrangement can be easy and simple, or elaborate and complex, or simply playing it on the fly. It’s all about each person’s own interpretation and approach.
3. After posting the arrangement, each person is encouraged to also post (in a video, on a recording or in writing) their approach to the song, or to specific parts of the song. This explanatory content can be in as much or as little detail as desired (or none at all). If the person is seeking specific help from the group this is a good place to ask for it.
4. Written notations of the arrangement are certainly not expected. Each person can decide how to handle any such requests from the group.
5. Future song selections and frequency will be made based on suggestions received and what appears to be a consensus. I’ll try and post a lead sheet for each song selection if that would be helpful. Of course, people can still play the song in any key (or keys) they choose.
6. Encouragement to each person for their contributions are encouraged. Unless the performer indicates a willingness to hear criticisms (see #1 above), participants should not offer criticisms of individual performances. Advice should only be offered if the person specifically asks for it. Even then resist criticizing anything to do with the interpretation or "artsy" side of the performance and comment on techniques and tips instead (for example playing a particular passage or suggesting chord embellishments, etc.)
7. Participation in group discussions is encouraged for all, even if a person does not want to personally post their own arrangements at present for whatever reason.
Goals of Group
1. To encourage each other to become better solo guitar players and to share knowledge and skills in a friendly and helpful setting. If we individually work up an arrangement and then bring it to the group, it will be invaluable to see how people handled the song or specific parts of the song. We will all enhance our guitar skills and vocabulary. New ideas or approaches would even be useful to the most advanced players.
2. To increase our repertoire of solo guitar songs.
3. To build confidence in playing for others, sharing our skills and in recording ourselves.
Since there is a new thread for each song, there is no time pressure to keep up with the group. People can post to each song thread when they’re ready to.
As discussed above, there are separate thread for our prior songs. If you want to post a video or recording of one of those, it’s never too late. Please do so in those threads and help keep them going!
I've attached a lead sheet of Stella by Starlight if it would be helpful.
We hope everyone will join in and participate however you choose.Last edited by Dirk; 03-24-2020 at 05:45 PM.
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05-18-2018 02:37 PM
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My take on this.
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Wow that's just beautiful. Great arrangement, playing and harmonies. Very enjoyable to watch and hear. Great video editing too. Love how your intro played over the beginning and picture started with the tune! Very cool!
Originally Posted by MGranada
My take on this.
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Em7b5 as the first chord?????
RAAAAAAAGE
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Thank you Paul, i m also practicing my editing skills hehe. Originally Posted by PaulW10
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I have to agree, there’s really only 1 option for the first 2 chords of stella in Bb: Originally Posted by christianm77
on “song” open position A major with A on top. a “Long A” if you will.
F major Barre chord on “Sings”
I can only assume this is what Christian was hinting at
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Open position G major on “years” and Bb power chord on “springs”
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Please post in the key of E....thanks.....Dan
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I thought I'd try and sneak mine in earlier on this thread!
This was one of my late Mom's two favorite songs (the other being My Funny Valentine). Her experience with it was first from the movie The Uninvited which was also one of her favorite movies. I remember telling her that jazz music had sort of lifted the song and made it one of its standards. She wasn't aware of that. She always just remembered it as one of her beautiful orchestral ballads.
Anyway, I haven't tried to play this too much in the past as it was always in my "difficult" pile (which means out of fear I didn't vote for it for this thread either)! I always wanted to learn it for my Mom though and this thread inspires me to keep trying. She would have really liked this thread and hearing everyone's interpretations!
Last edited by PaulW10; 05-22-2018 at 05:36 PM.
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Hi Dan, I just added sheet in key of E to original post. Originally Posted by jazzdan
Paul
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Ok, here's my stab at it. Just to defuse the Christian77 raaaage, which is a terrible thing to behold, I started it off with a Bbdim7 and eschewed the dread Emin7b5 until he was safely lulled. Actually I went a bit further off the beaten track than that, and copped this weird almost flamenco intro that's in the original movie soundtrack version, and then tried to capture something of aesthetic the rest of the way through, including the true, correct Bill-Evans-be-damned Bbdim7 "first" chord. It's a dirty job, but somebody's gotta do it ...
In a further nod to authenticity, there's a random family member wandering through the frame, just like in the original movie ...
A couple of further notes -- I play this tune a lot, but rarely solo, and usually in a much more straight ahead way. This isn't the cleanest take, but I didn't want to do a million versions and lose all spontaneity, so I'll stand pat with this.
John
PS The original audio file for this sounds fine, but when I imported it into iMovie to mix with the video, it picked up all these crackles that sound like digital overs. If anyone has any suggestions for how to fix that ...
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I just did this about a month ago, and it's not so good.
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Very cool. I like the vibe and the rearms. Great sound as well. Originally Posted by MGranada
My take on this.
John
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Nice one Paul. I get the sense you've listened to a lot of finger style, Leo Kottke sort of stuff. Originally Posted by PaulW10
John
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Sounded pretty darn good to me. Originally Posted by ScottM
John
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Thanks, John! Is it OK to steal a little from everyone?
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If it's not, most of us are in a heap of trouble Originally Posted by ScottM
John
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Thanks for the key change
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Scott, very enjoyable. so that was last month? it would be cool to see what adjustments you make after working it a bit. an “AB”
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In the key of E the chart is calling for A#m7b5 for the 2nd note which is d#.....I need a chord that has the d# in it.....thanks.....Dan
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Since I'm obviously under-informed, would someone mind explaining why the first chord of Stella isn't, or shouldn't be, an Em7b5?
It's in every backing track, every lead sheet I've seen so far. Barry Harris, Chet Baker, Stan Getz and Peter Bernstein use it. Barry Greene and Jens Larsen use it, and Dirk uses it in the Stella lesson on this very forum. I haven't found any serious recording or vid that didn't use it - although I've seen the occasional one where they just use the A7 or A7sus. Joe Pass does that, I think.
There is a vid that purports to display the 'original' changes and the chord is given as Eo. But I don't think that works, I don't like it.
I'd be grateful for a lucid explanation. Thanks.
Or is it one of those 'jazz jokes'?
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it’s not a joke... the first chord should be Bb dim woth the 7th as the melody note. That’s the original, that’s what barry harris teaches, and sounds best imo.
unless you try my changes from earlier in the post
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also it’s because people dont use or understand the biii dim
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