The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
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  1. #1

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    This tune is stuck in my ear and I am trying to come up with a chord melody arrangement in Am. Does anybody know of any transcription sin Am or care to share a few grips to get me started?
    Last edited by alltunes; 12-17-2020 at 06:01 PM.

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  3. #2

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    I think you'd find there are good reasons why there are not many chord melody versions of this tune. It doesn't really suit, but it might not be completely impossible. Have you found any on, say, You Tube? And, if so, are they any good?

  4. #3
    YT has a few versions; the Austrian Lady who does it in Gm and Rich Severson whose version look pretty good

  5. #4

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    Aren't both of them with... grits teeth... with backing tracks? I've already looked at most them, you see.

    So what's wrong with the Austrian lady's one? I mean, she definitely shows you exactly what to do, right? Don't you trust her?


  6. #5
    I have nothing against Sandra and she does some great work; I just wasn't digging her voicings too much on this particular tune. I bought Rich's chord melody TAB/Video and that has some good stuff to get me started.

  7. #6

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    The point is that chord melody is generally played solo, not with a backing track. I was wondering why Rich Severson used one, to be honest. The other point was I think it's a pretty bouncy tune and I'm not sure it's chord melody material. That's what my ear tells me anyway. And it's precisely for that reason that I think they're doing it to backing tracks, to give it a vitality it might lack otherwise, you see?

    I'm not trying to be negative or anything, those are just my reactions. I mean, I suppose any tune can be played unaccompanied but not all suit it. Only a viewpoint, that's all. I'm sure a million people will turn up to say just the opposite!

  8. #7

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    Quote Originally Posted by ragman1
    The other point was I think it's a pretty bouncy tune and I'm not sure it's chord melody material.

    Yeah .. Chord melody should never swing .. Just playing annoying rubato style with prolonged voicing's that grate your soul until you're just ready to jump out of the window

    That is the spirit!

  9. #8

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    The term chord melody always suggests to a sort of pedantic, plodding pairing of melody notes to block chords.

    Probably unfair. I prefer the term ‘solo jazz guitar.’

    You don’t have to harmonise all the notes....

  10. #9
    I like the tune.
    I am a jazz guitar hobbyist.
    I play these tunes unaccompanied (solo guitar) for fun.
    I was looking for some ideas to flesh out the melody a bit.
    You see?

  11. #10

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    Quote Originally Posted by alltunes
    I like the tune.
    I am a jazz guitar hobbyist.
    I play these tunes unaccompanied for fun.
    I was looking for some ideas to flesh out the melody a bit.
    You see?
    I wish I could go more into specifics...

    I can’t at the moment. But if it helps, aim to get a chord shape behind each long note in the melody. That will get you started. Practice until you can play fluently with these chords reinforcing the melody.

    Try to play the melody notes BEFORE the rest of the chord.

    Pay attention to what the bass of those chords is doing.

    Once that’s accomplished the issue becomes what to do in the gaps.

    That’s one way of doing it.

  12. #11

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    Quote Originally Posted by christianm77
    I wish I could go more into specifics...

    I can’t at the moment. But if it helps, aim to get a chord shape behind each long note in the melody. That will get you started. Practice until you can play fluently with these chords reinforcing the melody.

    Try to play the melody notes BEFORE the rest of the chord.

    Pay attention to what the bass of those chords is doing.

    Once that’s accomplished the issue becomes what to do in the gaps.

    That’s one way of doing it.

    I liked that older vid you did on playing swinging solo jazz guitar. Play with a pick, swing like a mofo and punctuate chords here and there. Refreshing one .. can't find it anymore tho ... Youtube is not the best archive

  13. #12

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    Yeah not a huge fan of rubato-ish pretty pretty lounge solo jazz guitar. Like a bit of backbone... that’s what I aspire to anyway.... Joe Pass, Barney Kessel and Peter Bernstein all have this IMO. Sco and Kurt are good at this too btw!

    These are some of the vids I’ve done on solo guitar arrangement. Any of those?

    Some repetition between them no doubt:









    Man, it would be great to get an opportunity to play guitar. Maybe after Christmas
    Last edited by christianm77; 12-18-2020 at 09:00 AM.

  14. #13

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    Also Am a good key choice, get open bass As, Es and Ds which should be exploited.

  15. #14
    Will exploit!

  16. #15

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    Quote Originally Posted by alltunes
    Will exploit!
    I assume by A minor the chord progression is:

    Am6 \ Bm7b5, E7 \ Am6 \ Am6
    Gm7 \ C7 \ Fmaj7 \ Fmaj
    Bm7b5 \ E7 \ Bm7b5 E7 \ Am6
    F#m7b5 \ B7 \ Bm7b5 \ E7

    Am6 \ Bm7b5, E7 \ Am6 \ Am6
    Gm7 \ C7 \ Fmaj7 \ Fmaj
    Bm7b5 \ E7 \ Bm7b5 E7 \ Am6
    F#m7b5 \ C6/G \ G#dim7 \ Am7
    D9 Ab7 \ G7#5, G7 \ C6 \ C6 (or Bm7b5, E7 for solos, only ending with C6).

    Love to use A harmonic minor over these changes blending that in with this uplifting melody.

    There is also a lot of chromatic movement in those last 8 bars (and this is one place I use open strings).