Reccomendations for a nice slow ballad to learn??

**Jimmy Smith** · 01-12-2023, 03:42 AM

Originally Posted by ragman1

Quick question: How slow is slow?

Been thinking about that. 60 seems standard, 70 seems a bit up for a ballad. 50 range is slow, and below 50 is mega slow.

**wintermoon** · 01-12-2023, 04:04 AM

First one that came to mind is my favorite ballad, When Sunny Gets Blue, then The Nearness Of You.

**ragman1** · 01-12-2023, 11:28 AM

Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith

Been thinking about that. 60 seems standard, 70 seems a bit up for a ballad. 50 range is slow, and below 50 is mega slow.

Tempos can be looked up on the net. Round Midnight is 78, Misty is 68, and Blue In Green is 55. I mean, 55 is s-l-o-w but the drummer's brushes keep it going. But you've still got to be damn good to do that. I can't even imagine anything much below 50.

And, of course, I was wondering what kind of slowness the OP was thinking of. Maybe he wasn't, maybe he just wanted a slowish nice tune. I did Naima again for myself the other day and that was at about 60.

.

**KingKong** · 01-12-2023, 01:21 PM

Gonna do round midnight when life allows, is the one who's tune is buzzing around in my head the most, plus got this to plagiarise lol:

Maybe I'll be brave enough to put my money where my (big) mouth is and actually post a recording, u never know!

**KingKong** · 01-12-2023, 01:24 PM

Originally Posted by ragman1

Tempos can be looked up on the net. Round Midnight is 78, Misty is 68, and Blue In Green is 55. I mean, 55 is s-l-o-w but the drummer's brushes keep it going. But you've still got to be damn good to do that. I can't even imagine anything much below 50.

And, of course, I was wondering what kind of slowness the OP was thinking of. Maybe he wasn't, maybe he just wanted a slowish nice tune. I did Naima again for myself the other day and that was at about 60.

.

Seen lots of stuff on tempo, sorry for not engaging.

Yeh not too slow to get impatient but slow enough to have a go at using the space between the beats to have a go a some of those nice sounding fastish flourishes that u hear people playing over slow tunes.

**Liarspoker** · 01-12-2023, 02:39 PM

Originally Posted by KingKong

Maybe I'll be brave enough to put my money where my (big) mouth is and actually post a recording, u never know!

Looking forward.....

Edit. Just had a look at Round... I'm getting some nice voicings so might keep going with it

**Jimmy Smith** · 01-12-2023, 02:51 PM

Originally Posted by ragman1

Tempos can be looked up on the net. Round Midnight is 78, Misty is 68, and Blue In Green is 55. I mean, 55 is s-l-o-w but the drummer's brushes keep it going. But you've still got to be damn good to do that. I can't even imagine anything much below 50.

And, of course, I was wondering what kind of slowness the OP was thinking of. Maybe he wasn't, maybe he just wanted a slowish nice tune. I did Naima again for myself the other day and that was at about 60.

.

Yeah around 80 gets to walking ballad. Organ can go mega slow with the sustained tones and the style with left hand on the melody, right hand chord, and foot on the bass. I go like 40 when I do that ha.

**ragman1** · 01-12-2023, 03:03 PM

Originally Posted by KingKong

Seen lots of stuff on tempo, sorry for not engaging.

A tempo doesn't have to be followed, it just gives the player some idea, that's all. Left to myself, I often tend to do slow tunes too fast and faster tunes too slow (even for me). But anyone can do what they like with a tune. So good luck with RM!

**ragman1** · 01-12-2023, 03:11 PM

Originally Posted by Jimmy Smith

Yeah around 80 gets to walking ballad. Organ can go mega slow with the sustained tones and the style with left hand on the melody, right hand chord, and foot on the bass. I go like 40 when I do that ha.

Definitely cheating, I call it :-)

**lammie200** · 01-12-2023, 04:35 PM

Because We Ended as Lovers and/or Where Were You both by Jeff Beck.

**Jimmy Smith** · 01-12-2023, 09:58 PM

Originally Posted by ragman1

Definitely cheating, I call it :-)

No! :P

**whiskey02** · 01-12-2023, 11:39 PM

Lament by JJ Johnson is beautiful, soulful, mournful and frequently neglected.
https://youtube.com/watch?v=fTFn2qujsW0&feature=shares

**AllanAllen** · 01-13-2023, 11:55 AM

Originally Posted by KingKong

Angling towards Misty, but I was hoping to see more commonality in the ideas, e.g. ' you should learn X, it's the most called ballad at jams'.

If you want the most commonly called ballad that's going to be Autumn Leaves, but you already know that one... right?

**Greentone** · 01-13-2023, 11:58 AM

Yeah, Autumn Leaves.

**KingKong** · 01-13-2023, 01:13 PM

Originally Posted by Greentone

Yeah, Autumn Leaves.

God, that's ploddy and monotonous at it's normal pace!

**Liarspoker** · 01-13-2023, 01:16 PM

Originally Posted by KingKong

God, that's ploddy and monotonous at it's normal pace!

Maybe if you're playing it

Edit. Also tune of the month in the Chord Melody section. Go on, give it a go. You know that you want to

**mr. beaumont** · 01-13-2023, 01:21 PM

Thoughts on Autumn Leaves:

It doesn't have to be boring

It's better slow (read the damn words!)

If it sucks, it's not the song's fault.

**KingKong** · 01-13-2023, 01:56 PM

Originally Posted by mr. beaumont

Thoughts on Autumn Leaves:

It doesn't have to be boring

It's better slow (read the damn words!)

If it sucks, it's not the song's fault.

Don't get me wrong it's a beautiful song, it just makes me switch off playing it, I think it's cos there's only one chord per bar... I start thinking about getting milk from the shop and loose my place, this is not a joke, actually the case.

**mr. beaumont** · 01-13-2023, 02:16 PM

Originally Posted by KingKong

Don't get me wrong it's a beautiful song, it just makes me switch off playing it, I think it's cos there's only one chord per bar... I start thinking about getting milk from the shop and loose my place, this is not a joke, actually the case.

More and more I'm believing that the job of a jazz player is to make simple chord progressions more complex and make complex chord progressions simpler.

**BigDaddyLoveHandles** · 01-13-2023, 03:05 PM

Another "my":

**AllanAllen** · 01-13-2023, 03:14 PM

Originally Posted by KingKong

Don't get me wrong it's a beautiful song, it just makes me switch off playing it, I think it's cos there's only one chord per bar... I start thinking about getting milk from the shop and loose my place, this is not a joke, actually the case.

You're going to have to get over that. All those fancy changes are usually just ii V's or turnarounds and essentially it's one chord per bar if not more than one bar.

**KingKong** · 01-13-2023, 03:33 PM

Originally Posted by AllanAllen

You're going to have to get over that. All those fancy changes are usually just ii V's or turnarounds and essentially it's one chord per bar if not more than one bar.

Nah just won't play it.