The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
  1. #1

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    Started looking at the tune: "What's New" in Key of C yesterday, and I see there are number of places where the melody note will change 1/8 of a measure before the bar with a tie into the next bar with the chord changing at the beginning of the bar.

    Any general rules of thumb you follow for this situation when playing chord melody?

    Seems I never find a good way to play the melody note as written and sustain it into the next bar, and then change the chord without overwhelming the sustained note. In practice I am often not playing those as written and playing the melody note late when I change the chord.

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    The Jazz Guitar Chord Dictionary
     
  3. #2

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    Sounds like Johnny Smith is just hitting it twice. I’d copy that approach.


    https://youtu.be/_C3Z1C2riM8

  4. #3

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    Quote Originally Posted by DanielleOM
    Started looking at the tune: "What's New" in Key of C yesterday, and I see there are number of places where the melody note will change 1/8 of a measure before the bar with a tie into the next bar with the chord changing at the beginning of the bar. Any general rules of thumb you follow for this situation when playing chord melody?.
    You could just strike it twice, as suggested. Play it as you like it and as you can - I like the smoothness of the tie.

    The only place I recall that in What’s New is before the first note of each verse in both C and F sections, and it’s not for rhythmic effect in this beautiful slow ballad. I think as Haggart wrote it, the lead-in notes following a half note rest are a dotted quarter and that eighth tied to the next bar. The chord around the dotted quarter is (curiously enough) a G7+5 in the verse but a Gb7 leading into in the release. That Gb7 is an inversion of a C7b9#11 rather than the augmented 7th he used at the beginning. Use this flexibility to shape leading chords that top out with the melody note. For example, try BD#G#C#F#B (barre the 6th and fret the 7th on your E1, B and E6) for the dotted quarter and slide up one fret into the eighth, sustaining that through the first full bar.

    Try adding a simple bass line to that bar with your right thumb. Sustain the top 3 notes and lift your fretted low C to walk from that C down to B (already fretted in the barre) and then an open A. Refret and hit the C root again, since you won’t be able to reach a low G. A B natural also works well as a passing tone into the Bb minor 9th that follows. And the Bb in the next chord finishes off that little bass line very nicely.

    Try an inversion of a G7b9 or a simple inverted aug 5th G triad of D#GB on your top three strings for the dotted quarter, each with the highest note being B on E1. Try everything, eg move that 8th fret G on your B string up a fret to add a b9. You have solo guitarist’s license to substitute as you like

    In general, if the early attack on the note seems like pure rhythmic effect (eg syncopation in the melody, funky feel etc), you probably want to keep the full chord on the beat to get the right feeling. If so, you can fret the full chord (including the melody note), but pluck that note early and the rest of the notes on the first beat of the bar. This works best fingerstyle or hybrid - unless the tune is truly slow, it’s hard for any guitarist to pick a chord around an already vibrating string and sustain the held note, even if the chord notes are all on higher or lower strings.

    Another approach that works well in many tunes is to strike the full chord a fret low (form as written, or your preferred substitute), including and highlighting the melody note - then slide up to the written chord on the beat.

    There are no rules. And we don’t even know exactly how a lot of our favorite tunes were originally written. Even their composers may have issued multiple recordings that differ. So especially when playing solo, it’s your choice as far as I’m concerned. Enjoy!

  5. #4

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    I remember listening to a lot of versions of this tune back when I learned it...and a lot of great singers put those notes on the one.

  6. #5

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    Quote Originally Posted by DanielleOM
    Started looking at the tune: "What's New" in Key of C yesterday, and I see there are number of places where the melody note will change 1/8 of a measure before the bar with a tie into the next bar with the chord changing at the beginning of the bar.

    Any general rules of thumb you follow for this situation when playing chord melody?

    Seems I never find a good way to play the melody note as written and sustain it into the next bar, and then change the chord without overwhelming the sustained note. In practice I am often not playing those as written and playing the melody note late when I change the chord.
    yeah the chord will be for the next bar; it’s a push. Same rule for Brazilian music. So in this case it’s like the next bar starts on the upbeat. Sounds weird but we are actually quite accustomed to this. Make sure you play the ‘4 and’ convincingly though, right? It’s one of the hardest things for the ‘rhythmically challenged’ (i.e. most of us) to get. For swing, keep it nice and relaxed. Very easy to play it early.

    You can also do this when comping. And you see it a lot it arrangements when chord stabs are written out.

    Usually when playing chord melody I play the melody first and the chord after as default. It’s a good habit - I got it from a tuck andress video and it makes the melody stand out, and is a better than playing chord followed by melody note.

    A little 1/8th note push can help you do that.