Solo Performance good tunes

**pingu** · 05-13-2024, 11:06 AM

Hi everyone,

Can you suggest me some good
tunes (with suggested Key)
that lay well on solo gtr ….

Standards and Pop tunes

Note …. I’m purely a plectrum player
so no Joe Pass style independant
basslines please , thanks !

Barney Kessle type plectrum
technique , and I like the early Alan Reuss style too

**AllanAllen** · 05-13-2024, 11:39 AM

How High The Moon falls well onto the guitar. Afro Blue too... Those are just he last two I worked on. I've also worked out Autumn Leaves, Mack The Knife, In A Mellow Tone, In A Sentimental Mood. Chitlins Con Carne is a good place to start along with Comin Home Baby, or Dig Dis. Any song that you can get across with note note note chord, or chord note note note.

I worked all these out in the common realbook key, but it really shouldn't matter what key.

I tried not to be vague, but what you really need to do is learn songs you like and see if they work solo yourself. Trying, failing, and analyzing why you failed, will teach you more than copying someone else's success.

I like his picks.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaOa3xGi1Rk1kVIp8ativDPdppzA9nooh

For Barney Kessel style
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7qEVFqWnEU&list=PLXp5S2_GLRCsZyKsb3ynx3aG LZEHENvmD

For Alan Reuss I would go to Jonathan Stout

**pingu** · 05-13-2024, 01:28 PM

Originally Posted by AllanAllen;[URL="tel:1335890"

1335890[/URL]]How High The Moon falls well onto the guitar. Afro Blue too... Those are just he last two I worked on. I've also worked out Autumn Leaves, Mack The Knife, In A Mellow Tone, In A Sentimental Mood. Chitlins Con Carne is a good place to start along with Comin Home Baby, or Dig Dis. Any song that you can get across with note note note chord, or chord note note note.

I worked all these out in the common realbook key, but it really shouldn't matter what key.

I tried not to be vague, but what you really need to do is learn songs you like and see if they work solo yourself. Trying, failing, and analyzing why you failed, will teach you more than copying someone else's success.

I like his picks.
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLaOa3xGi1Rk1kVIp8ativDPdppzA9nooh

For Barney Kessel style
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7qEVFqWnEU&list=PLXp5S2_GLRCsZyKsb3ynx3aG LZEHENvmD

For Alan Reuss I would go to Jonathan Stout

many thanks for all the suggestions AA

(Yes I do do my own arrangements ….I’ve done Pennies from Heaven in G and
Stomping at the Savoy in Db)

i wanna get a bunch more together
to be able to play a solo set ….

**AllanAllen** · 05-13-2024, 01:40 PM

Oh, Stomping at the Savoy is a great one that I forgot!

**mr. beaumont** · 05-13-2024, 01:57 PM

Almost anything can be a solo tune if you try hard enough...and if you change the key so it doesn't get up too high into that plinky zone....

**alltunes** · 05-13-2024, 02:18 PM

The suggestion to "learn tunes you like" is most important. If you are not playing songs you like what's the point?
So what standards "speak to you"?

**John A.** · 05-16-2024, 09:38 AM

In the Chord Melody sub-forum there's a series of threads of people working on solo arrangements. They're titled "Solo Guitar Tune #[1,2,3, etc.]". These were done over the course of roughly Feb-Aug 2018. I'd suggest perusing those as a starting point. Lots of good examples there.

**AllanAllen** · 05-16-2024, 11:31 AM

**AllanAllen** · 05-16-2024, 11:40 AM

You know, there's someone here who is expressly focused on opening the real book and playing chord melody from the page. I can't remember who, but I bet they have a good grasp on what tunes work for this.