Gentle Rain

[2bornot2bop]

I've been searching for the chords to Gentle Rain for the longest time today but no cigar.

Can anyone help a brother out? Thanks in advance.

It's a shame this tune hasn't been used as a chord melody learning tool for newbie's. Hint, hint!

[mr. beaumont]

I'm not really familiar with the tune...got any links to good versions?

[bako]

New Real Book Vol 3 - Chuck Sher

Aebersold Play-A-Long Series [Vol 89]

Latin Fakebook - Warner Bros

Just Jazz Real Book - Warner Bros

[Old] Real Book Vol 1

[Old] Vocal Real Book

[2bornot2bop]

I'm not really familiar with the tune...got any links to good versions?

Really.

Brazilian guitarist and songwriter Luis Bonfa penned 'Gentle Rain', in 1966 if I'm not mistaken. You may recognize his mega hit: Manha de Carnaval, aka, 'A Day In The Life Of A Fool'.

Tony Bennett, and some of everyone's done it.

My personal favorite, Diana Krall released it on a '97 mega hit album of her own: Love Scenes

Russell Malone and Christian McBride join her on this GRP release.

[2bornot2bop]

New Real Book Vol 3 - Chuck Sher

Aebersold Play-A-Long Series [Vol 89]

Latin Fakebook - Warner Bros

Just Jazz Real Book - Warner Bros

[Old] Real Book Vol 1

[Old] Vocal Real Book

Ahhhh, page 128 of the new real book vol. 3.

Thank you. Those are the changes I was after.

[JohnoL]

George Benson on Beyond the blue Horizon is my favorite version. (The only version I've ever heard).

[Gerard45]

I've been searching for the chords to Gentle Rain for the longest time today but no cigar.

Can anyone help a brother out? Thanks in advance.

It's a shame this tune hasn't been used as a chord melody learning tool for newbie's. Hint, hint!

This is the way I play 'Gentle Rain':

Chords of the first 4 bars:

Am6: 5x455x
Abdimb13: 4x345x
Bm7b5: 7x776x
Bm7#11: 6x675x

[balthazar]

George Benson on Beyond the blue Horizon is my favorite version. (The only version I've ever heard).

+ 1, really good version.

[randalljazz]

if of interest to anyone, top four strings.

please, gerhard!

| 5 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| 5 | 7 | 10 | 6 |
| 5 | 9 | 10 | 7 |
| 4 | 7 | 09 | 6 |

| 07 8 | 5 6 | 8 | 12 |
| 08 7 | 6 5 | 8 | 10 |
| 09 9 | 7 7 | 9 | 12 |
| 10 7 | 8 5 | 7 | 10 |

| 12 | 11 | 10 | 09 |
| 10 | 10 | 08 | 08 |
| 11 | 12 | 09 | 10 |
| 10 | 10 | 08 | 08 |

| 8 | 7 8 | 5 | 8 ||
| 6 | 6 6 | 5 | 5 ||
| 7 | 7 7 | 5 | 7 ||
| 6 | 7 6 | 4 | 6 ||
________________

| 8 | 12 | 10 | 13 |
| 7 | 10 | 10 | 13 |
| 9 | 11 | 10 | 13 |
| 7 | 10 | 09 | 12 |

| xX 12 | xX 10 | 12 11 10 09 | 8 |
| 13 10 | 11 08 | 10 09 08 07 | 8 |
| 12 11 | 10 09 | 12 11 10 09 | 9 |
| 12 10 | 10 08 | 10 09 08 07 | 7 |

| 8 | 10 | 6 | 8 |
| 7 | 08 | 5 | 6 |
| 9 | 08 | 7 | 6 |
| 7 | 07 | 5 | 5 |

| 4 | 5 4 | 7 6 | 5 4 |
| 3 | 3 3 | 5 5 | 3 3 |
| 5 | 4 5 | 5 5 | 3 3 |
| 3 | 3 3 | 5 4 | 3 2 |

| 3 | 6 5 | 8 | 10 | 7 | 7 8 ||
| 1 | 6 5 | 8 | 08 | 5 | 6 6 ||
| 2 | 5 7 | 9 | 11 | 5 | 7 7 ||
| 2 | 5 8 | 7 | 09 | 5 | 7 6 ||

alternate for ms 36 & 37 (in bold):

| 7 | 5 |
| 7 | 5 |
| 7 | 5 |
| 5 | 9 |

[2bornot2bop]

if of interest to anyone, top four strings.

Wonderful.

I appreciate the effort, but a legend would be helpful, for clearly your 3rd measure is not a B-7b5 chord, as written.

Given this is a new tune for many of us newb's, speaking for myself, I'd much prefer getting down to a basic structure from the bottom/root up with the chords as written on the leadsheet, i.e., 5x455x, which in doing so could lend greater impact to later substitute changes.

I'm working on it but it's slow going at the moment.

This may be helpful to some:

[2bornot2bop]

[quote=Odessa434;247921]I'm not really familiar with the tune...got any links to good versions?/quote]

The Diana Krall version posted in the first video above meets my "good" standard.

Closer to the original is a version recorded by the great Astrud Gilberto.

Having grown up in the 60's this style makes me nostalgic for a time that somehow seemed so much simpler. In California, during the early 60's, bossa nova was king and this sound was everywhere.

The beauty I'm finding with this tune thus far is it can be played as a straight bossa, or as Diana Krall does it above, more like a straight ballad.

[Steve Montgomery]

Another great version, no surprise, is Oscar Petersen with the Singers Unlimited on an album called "In Tune." Beautiful approach to the changes.

[Steve Montgomery]

Here's another version of the chords for the first part of the tune. If you voice the Am13 in the right way, it doubles nicely for a G#7#5b9 in place of the usual B half-diminished to E7alt, or the Am13 to G#diminished version (the way Oscar Petersen does it).

Like this:


Am13

--5-------------------------------------------
--5-------------------------------------------
--9-------------------------------------------
--9-------------------------------------------
---------------------------------------------
--(5)-----------------------------------------

G#7#5b9

---------------------------------------------
--5-------------------------------------------
--5-------------------------------------------
--9-------------------------------------------
--9-------------------------------------------
--(4)-------------------------------------------

[2bornot2bop]

beautiful reharmonization Steve. More like this!

[Steve Montgomery]

Hey, thanks. Here's the fingerings I used if you want to give them a test run.

[Steve Montgomery]

Here's a couple more tunes I've "gently" reharmonized. The recording quality's a lot better on these. What do you think?

[2bornot2bop]

Another great version, no surprise, is Oscar Petersen with the Singers Unlimited on an album called "In Tune." Beautiful approach to the changes.

thanks for the referral, I'd not heard that one. Oscar Petersen, what more needs to be said!

[2bornot2bop]

Hey, thanks. Here's the fingerings I used if you want to give them a test run.

okay so each of these is a comping rhythm using rootless voicings?

have you created a basic CM to Gentle Rain as well?

I ask because as one of the piano players in the house the biggest challenge for me personally is determining where on the neck to begin the melody...for a CM that is? In some sense doesn't that dictate where one will reach comfortable, i.e., reachable voicings?

At the piano 3 out of 4 times I'd voice a melody note from a top down approach, as opposed from the bottom up. But being new to guitar I'm discovering that top down approach doesn't always work hand in hand while attempting to create a lush harmonic palette beneath the melody.

At the moment I'm sitting with Gentle Rain, as I do every new tune, by first attempting to voice the melody above a basic harmonic structure, i.e., R-3-7, or 3-7. It's kinda perplexing to determine which string to choose to voice a particular melody note for that choice will determine what harmonic voicings are in reach of that note...well, that's been my experience without any instruction at this point.

I guess what I'm saying is with each new CM I read I learn something new. I'm diggin' your comping voicings! Thanks for sharing this stuff...I'd hoped someone with chops would chime in.

I'd welcome someone breaking this beautiful tune down integrating a Root based harmonic structure with the melody.

[2bornot2bop]

Here's a couple more tunes I've "gently" reharmonized. The recording quality's a lot better on these. What do you think?

Great stuff brother! There's nothing like a timeless classic given a fresh new harmonic lease on life is there. Thanks for sharing!

[Earl]

This is the way I play 'Gentle Rain':

Chords of the first 4 bars:

Am6: 5x455x
Abdimb13: 4x345x
Bm7b5: 7x776x
Bm7#11: 6x675x

beginning at measure 9...check out this chord
c at fret8....string 1
a " " 10..string 2
e " " 9... " 3
f# " " 9..... " 5 (could be a C13b5) then choose this chord formation

and proceed with the melody on the top string from this point. INTERESTING

[Gerard45]

beginning at measure 9...check out this chord
c at fret8....string 1
a " " 10..string 2
e " " 9... " 3
f# " " 9..... " 5 (could be a C13b5) then choose this chord formation

and proceed with the melody on the top string from this point. INTERESTING

Sounds good. Thank you.

[Steve Montgomery]

Hey 2bornot2bop,

Is this what you're looking for chord wise?

[2bornot2bop]

Hey 2bornot2bop,

Is this what you're looking for chord wise?

Very kewl, thanks brother. That's close to what I created on my own so that means I'm moving in the right direction. Much appreciated!

to each of those half dim chords beginning with the F#half dim7 I'm voicing it at the 9th fret 2nd string, and I'm grabbing the root with the tip of my index finger while catching the 6th string 8th fret C with the fleshy meaty base of the index, using the 234 fingers to play the CEA..feels weird fingering 2 strings on separate frets but it works...perhaps this is a common way to partially bar two notes on separate frets and it's only newz to me having discovered it out of necessity, but at any rate it works.

Thanks for the assist on this one!

[Gerard45]

Off topic.

In Bossa's I play the Em7b5 this way:

6x575x (b5 x b3 b7 R x)

And next (f.e.):

A7b13 = 5x566x (R x b7 3 b13 x)

D6/9 = x5445x (x R 3 6 9 x)

[SteveCarter]

I've been searching for the chords to Gentle Rain for the longest time today but no cigar.

Can anyone help a brother out? Thanks in advance.

It's a shame this tune hasn't been used as a chord melody learning tool for newbie's. Hint, hint!

I recorded this tune on my first solo guitar CD. If there's interest, I'll notate the arrangement.
Here's a link to the sound file:

Steve