Tag Archives: play along

Bluesette – Backing Track – Playalong – Jazz Waltz – 147 bpm

Bluesette is probably the most famous Toots Thielemans song and certainly a jazz standard. Such a great take on a 3/4 Parker Blues with a few extra twists!

This is a great progression! A Belgian version of the Parker Blues and also in 3/4. I guess that is the Belgian part of it?

This song has a very nice way of travelling through a lot of keys and still end up home in a turnaround. Certainly one of my favourite waltzes, probably no 2 on the list 😀

Here’s my solo on the track:

 

Here are the changes:

Yesterdays – Backing Track – Medium Swing – 138 Bpm

Yesterdays – Medium Swing Backing track

Yesterdays is a great song with some minor turnarounds and a long dominant chain! The 16 bar form is split in two where the first half is in Dm with some turnarounds and a line cliché. The second half is a dominant chain starting with an A7(b13) with the b13 in the melody.

The song is also a great vehicle for odd meters like 5/4 and 7/4. Scofield has a 7/4 song called last week on these changes.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Edk4u130Ms

Here’s my solo on the track:

And here are the changes I play over:

I’ll Remember April – Backing Track – Latin – 175 BPM

I’ll remember April Backing track!

Great combination of modal and changes in this song.

The form is ABA, the A parts have modal 4 bar G major and minor stretches and the B part is a series of II V I progressions.

The song is not too dificult in terms of the changes but offers some nice opportunities to play in different keys and also make longer melodic ideas on one chord.

DOWNLOAD A FREE E-BOOK with 15 II Valt I licks!
Sign up for my newsletter: http://jenslarsen.nl/sign-up-for-my-newsletter

Here’s my solo on the track!

The changes I play can be found here:

 

Autumn Leaves – Backing Track – Medium Swing – 132 bpm

Autumn Leaves Backing track!

Autumn Leaves is such a great study in diatonic chord movement.

The form is an unusal AAB where the A’s are 8 bars and the B is 16 bars.

And my solo:

If you want to check out a lesson on how to solo over Autumn Leaves:

Autumn Leaves Solo Lesson 1

Here are the changes I play:

 

 

 

I Remember You – Backing Track – Medium Swing – 140 Bpm

I Remember You – Backing Track

I remember You is a beautiful standard.

The form is AABA, where the last A has a tag of an extra 4 bars. The song is here in F major. A few things that are special to this song is the #IV in the 2nd bar and that it uses IV IVm to go back to the tonic in bars 5-6 of the A part, so there’s no strong cadence back using a dominant.

Another key feature is the elegant series of modulations in the Bridge taking a trip from Bb to D major and then via C major back to F in the last A.

What is you favourite version of this song?

I think the Tom Harrel/Heyn van der Geyn/Phillipe Catherine is mine? or maybe Chet Baker?

My solo on this track:

Here are the changes I use:

 

 

Summertime – Backing Track – PlayAlong – Medium Swing 122 bpm

Summertime – Backing Track – PlayAlong – Medium Swing 122 bpm

George Gershwins Summertime is certainly one of the most famous jazz standards ever written!

It’s a great 16 bar form that lends itself to both bluesy and more jazzy minor sounds. Summertime is also the chord progression that Wes Montgommery wrote Four on Six on. His version is decorated with a constant II V movement which is typical for the Hard Bop era chord progressions.

I posted this backing track on the request of Matt Warnock since his FaceBook group has Summertime as Tune of the month in February: https://www.facebook.com/groups/playjazzguitar/?ref=bookmarks

 

My lesson on different Tonic Minor options:

The Changes I play:

The WebStore lesson of a 4 chorus solo on Summertime:

Summertime – Tonic minor options – Solo Lesson

Backing tracks on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWYuNvZPqqcEKZdvb3Q2iKIMqiEVJFqcM

How High The Moon – Backing Track – Medium Up Swing -196 BPM

Here’s the backing track for how high the moon!

I play the song in G major, which is probably the most common key for the tune. This Medium up tempo is also quite common and fits well with the bebop theme written on this

This classic American songbook tune How High the Moon is a ABAC or 16-16 form song. The main point of interest is the use of switching from major to minor to modulate a whole step down.

How High The Moon is also the chord progression used for Ornithology though some chords in the Parker tune are changed into dominants. Coltrane also made a Giant Steps version of this called Satellite.

My Solo on this backing track:

Here are the changes I play>

More Backing tracks on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWYuNvZPqqcEKZdvb3Q2iKIMqiEVJFqcM

If you want to check out a lesson on how I comp on How High The moon:

Comping Etude – How High The Moon

There’s also a lesson on soloing on this song:

How High The Moon – Solo Etude

Sign up for my newsletter:

Sign up for my newsletter

Here’s that Rainy Day Backing Track – Slow Samba – 162 bpm

The backing track for Here’s that Rainy Day.

This is a great song for this latin feel!

The form of this song is AB so two times 16 bars. What is a bit unusual is that it does not have the standard V of V to II V ending half way, which is normal for this type of standard.

The beginning detour to Eb is really nice about this song. The first three bars are in fact Giant steps.

Drums are DrumGenius, the rest is me 🙂

My Solo on this backing track:

Backing tracks on YouTube:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWYuNvZPqqcEKZdvb3Q2iKIMqiEVJFqcM

Here are the changes:

 

Take the A train Medium Swing 144 BPM Backing track

Here is the backing track from the Take the A train video.

Maybe post a video of you soloing on the track?

This is my solo on it: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cjotoXpuvV8

And here’s My backing track playlist: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLWYuNvZPqqcEKZdvb3Q2iKIMqiEVJFqcM

Hope you like it!

 

 

Here’s a basic chord progression:

take-the-a-train-backing-track-medium-swing-144-bpm