September 2016 - My Funny Valentine

**wizard3739** · 09-08-2016, 12:55 PM

The PS poll winner for Sept. 2016 is called due to: over 50 % of the vote is for "My Funny Valentine". Below you will find an older BIAB backing track from a Bill Evans Trio style with a lead sheet This track has a 4 bar intro, 4 choruses and a standard ending.
Also, I will add another backing track with a newer BIAB style later today.

Lead sheet----->Box (link repaired)

old backing track---->Box

wiz (Howie)

**Hatim** · 09-09-2016, 04:48 AM

Can someone shine some line on that Abm6 in bar 15?
I've never understood minor6 chords. What can i play on that or is it actually another chord?
Thanks.

Hans

**Vladan** · 09-09-2016, 05:45 AM

Something from 2013

Not - So- Funny - Valentine

**Vladan** · 09-09-2016, 05:56 AM

Originally Posted by Hatim

Can someone shine some line on that Abm6 in bar 15?
I've never understood minor6 chords. What can i play on that or is it actually another chord?
Thanks.

Hans

It's there to carry chromatic descend, you can see it as Fm7b5. So from Fm7 to Fm7b5 to Bb7b9.
So you have
F all the way,
Ab all the way,
C to B to Bb,
Eb ... to D
...

**matt.guitarteacher** · 09-09-2016, 08:51 AM

Originally Posted by Hatim

Can someone shine some line on that Abm6 in bar 15?
I've never understood minor6 chords. What can i play on that or is it actually another chord?
Thanks.

Hans

Sixth chords are wonderfully, (and confusingly, at first), ambiguous. 6th chords can be respelled with the 6 as root, and often this will help with getting your brain around chords/arpeggios
fingerings etc.

Often, m6 chords are actually just inserted m7b5 chords or have a kind of dual function, referencing another tonal center. More than "misspelling" though, it's actually more of an old-fashioned convention to respell all half diminished (or m7b5's) as m6. Mickey Baker, for example, would use this chord as a sub for others, including (and predominantly) dom 9th chords.

All things being equal, m6 is probably easier to understand, spell and play over, as a beginner. If you're making a non-jazz chart for non-jazz players, m6 is definitely the way to spell it.

Of course, in doing all of that, you're really disregarding FUNCTION as a minor ii7. Major 2-5 lines generally work for minor as well, with allowance for key signature, and you lose a lot of that association with respelling it as a minor six. If it's functioning as a 2 chord, it's really half diminished, not minor sixth.

And that's the way it's discussed among jazz players and in jazz texts, courses etc. Abm6 resolving to Bb7 eventually needs to be understood in the way that it's actually FUNCTIONING, as Fm7b5, (ii7b5) resolving to its V7, Bb7.

**Hatim** · 09-09-2016, 10:25 AM

Can someone shine some line on that Abm6 in bar 15?
I've never understood minor6 chords. What can i play on that or is it actually another chord?
Thanks.

Thanks guys!
Thanks for the interesting historical perspective of minor6, matt.guitarteacher
Now I see that the first inversion of Fmb5 is Abm6.
That is indeed more the language I understand.

Hans

**matt.guitarteacher** · 09-09-2016, 10:55 AM

Originally Posted by Hatim

Thanks guys!
Thanks for the interesting historical perspective of minor6, matt.guitarteacher
Now I see that the first inversion of Fmb5 is Abm6.
That is indeed more the language I understand.

Hans

No problem. I'm not an expert. Those are just some of my observations from looking at older material.

Barry Harris still likes to look at things in terms of being sixths . For him it's more of a philosophical approach though, as opposed to just being "old-fashioned" or something.

**joe2758** · 09-09-2016, 03:22 PM

Originally Posted by matt.guitarteacher

Of course, in doing all of that, you're really disregarding FUNCTION as a minor ii7. Major 2-5 lines generally work for minor as well, with allowance for key signature, and you lose a lot of that association with respelling it as a minor six. If it's functioning as a 2 chord, it's really half diminished, not minor sixth.

And that's the way it's discussed among jazz players and in jazz texts, courses etc. Abm6 resolving to Bb7 eventually needs to be understood in the way that it's actually FUNCTIONING, as Fm7b5, (ii7b5) resolving to its V7, Bb7.

Hmm, I think this is my first time disagreeing with matt. Abm6 is the minor iv, still very clearly a subdominant function

**matt.guitarteacher** · 09-09-2016, 03:42 PM

Originally Posted by joe2758

Hmm, I think this is my first time disagreeing with matt. Abm6 is the minor iv, still very clearly a subdominant function

I don't necessarily disagree, and I'm sure you're right. Subdominant is subdominant. Probably more about bass line. They're very nearly the same chord. I'm not a theoretician. They're synonyms so I hope we can still be friends. :-)

**wizard3739** · 09-10-2016, 03:30 PM

OK, Here is another backing track as promised! This one is slower and more modern in terms of the harmony and the style of the changes. It has an 8 bar introduction, 3 choruses and a standard ending. It is still basically a BIAB backing track but I took some liberties with the bass, guitar and piano tracks to give it more interesting to play over. Let me know if you like this new approach.

Howies' new backing track----->https://app.box.com/s/iusz29tcyvgke25z6h96ue8g8uik887r
best wishes always,

wiz (Howie)

**morroben** · 09-10-2016, 08:17 PM

Originally Posted by wizard3739

It has an 8 bar introduction, 3 choruses and a standard ending.

A question for Howie, or anyone really, how does this relate to the lead sheet? Or a Real Book lead sheet? If we're looking at Howie's sheet, is the 8 bar intro just the first four bars on the lead sheet, repeated to get 8 bars? And then everything in between the repeat bars is the chorus? And then what would the standard ending be? I know this is probably rookie information, but I'm just getting around to trying to use a Real Book and lead sheets and I don't completely understand how this stuff works.

**PaulD** · 09-10-2016, 11:04 PM

Fuzz, I enjoyed your version quite a bit. Jeff, very nice, I like your "folk jazz" ideas.

Here's a quick first take - pretty conventional

**wizard3739** · 09-11-2016, 12:06 AM

Originally Posted by fuzzthebee

For the latest backing track? I can't listen with the volume up too high, but it sounds like a minor 1 6 2 5, repeated once as the intro. So Cm, Am7b5, Dm7b5, G7b9. You would come in after 8 bars.

And, yes everything between the repeats = one chorus.

The ending used a ii/V to Cm (Dm7b5, G7b9, Cm), instead of staying on the Eb.

Actually, I think of this song arranged in C minor to allow more more minor flavor (melodic and Harmonic) for improvisation. I'm sorry I didn't post a lead sheet that included the 8 bar intro. I'll try to post another lead sheet tomorrow afternoon that matches the backing track. The 8 bar intro is as you suggested, a I VI II V in C minor repeated with altered chords for an interesting introduction. I minimized the piano track to allow the guitar comping track to stand out a bit. The bass and drum tracks are pretty much "straight ahead" jazz tracks. My intent here was to rehamonize the song in C minor just for the fun of doing it.

best wishes,

wiz

**morroben** · 09-11-2016, 02:18 PM

Thanks guys. Wiz, you don't need to make a special sheet for the new backing track. My question was meant in a more general way, just using your lead sheet and track as an example. I'm just trying to understand how lead sheets work.

**Hatim** · 09-13-2016, 09:08 AM

Here is my input.
Just Biab plus sologuitar (telecaster).
Biab varies in volume in the solo round and gets a bit in the way of the guitar.
Pretty straight 4/4 though

Hans

**mr. beaumont** · 09-13-2016, 09:23 AM

Nice take Hans.

My one critique would be that sense you spend so much time in the lower register during your solo, it does get buried a bit.

**Hatim** · 09-13-2016, 02:42 PM

"it does get buried a bit

Yeah, next time I use Ireal again. Biab is too dynamic for me.

**mr. beaumont** · 09-13-2016, 03:27 PM

Originally Posted by Hatim

Yeah, next time I use Ireal again. Biab is too dynamic for me.

Yeah, but the i real piano player is a hack

Part of it too, and forgive me if I'm inferring too much-- but you sound more confident when playing the melody. That can affect how much "authority" you're hitting the strings with.

**chismes** · 09-23-2016, 05:03 AM

Here is my version, first take quite improvable. The backing track is made by me and in doing so take the opportunity to practice chords drop 2. A greeting.

**morroben** · 09-23-2016, 12:39 PM

Great submissions, everyone!
Has anyone ever played around with the Ted Greene arrangements of this tune? There are Ted style charts for 3 different versions on the TG site, but I can't seem to find performances of any of them. It's surprising, since a youtube search will almost always turn up a video of someone trying Ted's arrangements, but I can't seem to find this one.

**M-ster** · 10-29-2016, 05:24 PM

Um, what month is it?
http://www.noiseinthebasement.com/mp...ntine%2000.mp3

**Gabor** · 08-22-2019, 04:01 AM

Hi to all, great thread,

I am wondering anyone considered the Miles version of chords? (and maybe the swing feel in the B part)
I really love how it transforms the tune in direction to the bluesy side. I know the tune is "sad" almost melancholic in some interpretations (Chet), but blues is also "blue" :-), so we maybe remaining faithful to the original intent...

September 2016 - My Funny Valentine-2019-08-22-9-58-21-png