Satin Doll

[NeilES335]

I've been working on this Jazz standard by Duke Ellington. It's really a "must know" among jazz players of all instruments, with it's very catchy tune. I'm enjoying the process. So far I'm working on the lead sheet version, and later I'll get to the fingerstyle arrangement.  I can see why Steve K included it in Song Hits, with it's classic ii V progression in the Key of C.

The chord changes really aren't too hard on this tune, for comping. I learned the melody basically by listening, and just played it by ear, then I checked the notiation. Turns out I added a few notes; but hey, it's jazz!

Playing it in time and up to 120bpm is a challenge though. I find you really have to know the song and the changes to keep up this tempo.  I'm trying first to perfect it at 98bpm, then I'll go to say 110, then 120bpm, once it sounds decent.

My goal is to have a repertoite of at least 6 Jazz Standard I can play solo guitar and chord melody arrangements to. (Moon River (check), Autumn Leaves (in progress) Satin Doll (in prgress), All the Things You Are, Sunny... for starters)

Is anyone else working on this or completed it?

[Wim VD1]

Yes, Neil.

I learned and recorded the Song Hits arrangement now about 2 years ago as a kind of L&M graduation project. 

It took me several weeks to learn it. I did however not play it much after recording it, because I went back to learning the blues.

It's a challenging chord melody and I wish you lots of fun learning it.

Wim.

 

 

[NeilES335]

@Wim VD1 Well done on this one Wim! I'd say the chord melod is a bit daunting actually;-)  I thiki'll stick with comping and playing the melody over it for now... chord melody for later.

I'm listening to your Autumn Leaves ... great too... The chord melody arrangement I'm working on is by someon you likely know from YouTube; Sandra Sherman (Guitarversum.com)  I think you'd probably breeze through this one...

Here's the arrangement attached below...

 

Regards;

Neil

PS;  I'd love to hear what you could do with this BB King Style backing Track in A.... (its on my SoundCloud Channel - I didnt record this one) 

 

Autumn-Leaves-Easy-Chord-Melody.pdf

[Oldjock]

I constantly find the jazz genre trying to pull me away from country rock. I love the sound and how learning to play the scales brings me closer to becoming a jazz player. Here is another video which shows how to use the Am penatonic scale to play a nice jazz lick.

Henk

 

[Wim VD1]

@NeilES335, I like Sandra Sherman and her "Grrreetings from Austria", and I have subscribed to her YouTube channel. She has some nice lessons on chord embellishments in Jimi Hendrix style as well.

I'll see what I can do on the B.B. King jamtrack. I might study his style a bit more in depth and then try to put together some lead "in the style of".

@Oldjock, I love blues with Jazz influences as well, as long as it does not sound too complicated 😀