Jazz Fakebook Charts to Jazz Guitar Chord Melodies
General steps you take to build a jazz guitar chord melody from a lead sheet.
First, get the song in your soul.
Play the chord changes as accompaniement.
Read through the melody. Listen to recordings of the song.
The absolute best resource for this is the RealBook Software. (www.RealBookSoftware.com)
This is a computerized Fakebook that allows you to sort or find the thousands of charts and original recordings, MIDI files or Band In A Box FIles that are included in the program.
Now to build the chord melody
1. Find the melody notes on the two top strings.
2. On one of the two or three lowest strings find chord root.
3. Fill in the appropriate chord tones on the middle strings.
You will eventually find variations, other ways to finger the chord, other inversions, voice leading tones in another area of the fretboard, alternative bass-tones etc.
Joe Pass’ advice…take the melody tone, find the root and play a line or arpeggio from the root to the melody tone. Then find a line that leads to the next tone in the tune.
Try substitutions…and while you’re working on the tune you’ll get it in your heart and mind…
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