Piano Diana Blog: April 2012

Fly Me To The Moon

Fly Me To The Moon (In Other Words) is one of my favorite songs I listened to in the 50s. My mom and dad listened to it a lot when it first hit the charts in 1954. The words and music are by Bart Howard. The key is Eb and played with a Bossa Nova beat. I can still hear Frank Sinatra sing it!

Am7             Dm7        G7                  Cmaj7 
Fly me to the moon, let me play amounst the stars, 
 
F7             Bm7/B5            E7/B9         Am7 
Let me see what spring is like on jupiter and mars, 
 
A7/B9 Dm7          G9       G7/B9   Cm9    Am7 
In   other words,    hold  my    hand! 
 
Am9  Dm7          G7         Fdim7  Cmaj7   Bm7  E7 
In   other words,    darling kiss   me! 
 
Am7                Dm7              G7           Cmaj7 
Fill my heart with song, and let me sing forever more 
 
F7           Bm7/B5         E7/B9      Am7 
you are all I long for all I worship & adore 
 
A7/B9       Dm7          G9        G7  Em7/B5
     In    other words,    please be  true! 
 
A7/B9       Dm7         Dm7/C  G7/B9   C6     Bm7  E7 
     In    other words   I    love  you 
 
A7/B9    Dm7         G7    G7/B9   C6      Bb6  B6  C6/9 
     In other words     I love  You!

Ultimate Guitar.com

Here's another key in play the same song, whatever one you're comfortable with.

Fly Me To The Moon Chords

Bm7                      G
Fly me to the moon 
A                                 Dmaj7
Let me sing among those stars 
Em                         G                              
Let me see what spring is like 
F#7                   Bm7
On Jupiter and Mars 

Em                    A       Dmaj7     Bm7
In other words,           hold my hand 
Em                    A       Dmaj7       F#7        
In other words,           baby kiss me 

Bm7                      G 
Fill my heart with song 
A                                 Dmaj7
Let me sing for ever more 
Em                         G    
You are all I long for 
F#7                   Bm7
All I worship and adore 

Em                    A       Dmaj7     Bm7
In other words, please be true 
Em                    A       Dmaj7       F#7        
In other words, I love you 
Your Chords.com

Another artist whom I absolutely adore and admire is Diana Krall. She does this song real well!
Here's what I play in Eb:

Fly Me To The Moon Chords

Cm7           Fm7
Fly me to the moon 
Bb7                     Ebmaj7
Let me play among those stars 
Ab               Dm7-5                              
Let me see what spring is like 
G7-9             Cm
On Jupiter and Mars 

C7  Fm7        Ab/Bb    Am7-5 Bb7+5 Gm7 C7
In other words,           hold my hand 
Fm7           Ab/Bb       Bb7+5   Abdim  Eb6 Dm7  G7-9        
In other words,           darling kiss me 

Cm7                Fm7 
Fill my heart with song 
       Bb7          Ebmaj7
Let me sing for ever more 
Ab            Dm7-5    
You are all I long for 
      G7-9         Cm
All I worship and adore 

C7  Fm7     Ab/Bb D7-9    Gm7-5  C9  Cmaj7
In other words, please be true 
Fm7         Ab/Bb    Bb9 Eb     
In other words, I love you

Monday Music Quote: Diana Krall

"That's why these songs have lasted as long as they 
have because they're just about feelings that don't change. They are 
love songs, they are not specific, those kinds of feelings don't change."

Sarah Vaughn also recorded this song, along with many others.

Enjoy,

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

Improvising with Jamey Aebersold

"Anyone can improvise. It's the most natural way to make music. Always has been! It's a technique we've forgotten or thought we weren't good enough to begin." -- Jamey Aebersold

I just finished reading through How To Play Jazz and Improvise, a play-a-long book & cd set for all instruments. I wanted to share eight things that Jamey recommends when improvising. Mr. Aebersold suggests that you choose one or two items at a time and concentrate on them while playing with the recorded track. Soon these elements of music will become automatic.

8 Tips for Improvising

1. Don't limit yourself by beginning every phrase in the low register and then proceed upward (ascending motion). Utilize descending motion and use melodic lines that combine ascending and descending motion.

2. Avoid limiting your ideas tot he middle or the most comfortable register of your instrument. Nothing is more monotonous than listening to players who confine their playing to their most comfortable register and refuse to utilize the high, low, or unfamiliar registers. Be prepared to take chances and experiment with less-used limits of your instrument. By so doing, you will experience some of the most gratifying moments in improvising; it can also be quite frustrating at times. Soaring into the upper register or dipping down into the low register of your instrument on occasion can be a surprise, a relief and a joy for the soloist and, particularly, for the listener.

3. In order to have as much freedom of concept as possible, memorize the scales to be used. If you have the scales memorized and mastered, your mind is freer to concentrate on melodic development. Your imagination works best when you feel secure.

4. Vary your dynamics! Lack of dynamic contrast has a dulling effect on the listener and the player. Listen to the phrasing and dynamics of the jazz greats.

5. Don't stacatto every note, and don't legato every note. Use a variety of articulations. Listen to recorded solos of people who play your instruments. Interesting players have an assortment of articulations at their disposal. For variety, listen to solos by musicians who play an instrument other than your type. Many name jazz players have used this technique for practicing articulation.

6. Concentrate on hearing, mentally, each tone before you play it. This requires constant anticipation and awareness. It will help prepare you for more advanced improvisation, as well as create in you an inner sense of pitch. A sense of pitch will greatly stabilize intonation, and is extremely important when playing notes that are seperated by a large interval. Concentration will also help your intonation.

7. Always try to make the notes you play have a sense of direction. be aware of tension and release. Remember, every note you play is part of a larger musical idea. If you can't think of what should come next in a solo, try using silence. After all, music is nothing more than a combination of sounds and silences.

8. Listen to your sound. Do you like the sound you are getting? If not, why? Everyone should study privately with the best teacher they can find. Listen to records and copy the SOUND of the artist you listen to... Always play on the best instrument you can afford. Good instruments DO make a difference.

-- Use repetition when soloing. Repetition is like watching road signs. It helps hold the listener's attention and directs them to the next musical phrase or event.

Vol. 1, How To Play Jazz & Improvise (Book & CD Set) (Play- a-Long)

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey

Bouncin' With Bill E.

Bill Evans performing at the Montreux Jazz Festival (Switzerland) with his trio consisting of Marc Johnson, bass & Philly Joe Jones, drums, July 13, 1978. Photo: Brian McMillen / brianmcmillen@hotmail.com (Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Pianist Bill Evans was a master of harmony and improvisation. His work has been a source of inspiration to jazz musicians and fans since the 1950s.

Bouncin' With Bill E. (Lead Sheet)

GMaj
G6
GMaj7
Amin7
D7
Gmin7
Gmin6
Gmin7

E7
Amin7
D7
Dmin7b5
E7
Amin7
D7
G6
Amin7
D7

Here's a fully voiced version of Bouncin' With Bill E. What you play from the lead sheet should be similar to this, but don't worry if there are voicings here and there that don't match exactly. You should be playing the correct notes in the chords, of course, but beyond that we can be somewhat flexible since there are many different ways to voice a chord.

GMaj7 = G/GDF#

G6 = G/GDEG

GMaj7 = G/DF#B

Amin7 = A/CEG

D7 = D/ACF#

Gmin7 = BbDF

Gmin6 = G/BbDEG

Gmin7 = DFBb

E7 = E/G#BD

Amin7 = A/EGC

D7 = D/CF#A

Bmin7b5 = B/FAD

E7 = E/DG#B

Amin7 = A/EGC

D7 = D/ACF#

G6 = G/GDEG

Amin7 = A/CEG

D7 = D/CF#A

From YouTube:

Since We Met' (Bill Evans) - jazz piano tutorial. This was re-cast from a midi file that I did a few years ago. It is one of the less covered Bill Evans compositions - the leadsheet is in Sher Music's 'New Real Book' Volume 3.
It is interesting in a number of ways:
* meter alternates between 3/4 and 4/4.
* changes from in-tempo to rubato, and solo piano to piano trio
* in the 3/4 section it passes through every key in turn by cycling around the 'cycle of fifths'.
* like many of the standards he favoured, and songs he wrote, melodic phrases often begin or finish on the 11th so that many interesting minor 11th voicings can be used as supporting harmony.
The video can be downloaded (free) from my website at http://bushgrafts.com and I have put the printable transcription on my DVD, and also made the transcription available for download ($1.20) - details are on my website.

"Words are the children of reason and, therefore, can't explain it. They really can't translate feeling because they're not part of it. That's why it bugs me when people try to analyze jazz as an intellectual theorem. It's not. It's feeling. "

Bill Evans

You might want to look at 4 Free Video Lessons and Sequence

"Jazz washes away the dust of every day life." -- Art Blakey