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Swing a Bellevue: Quick Tune of the Month, March '06

JackJack western Massachusetts✭✭✭✭
edited April 2006 in Repertoire Posts: 1,752
Since March is almost done I thought I'd pick a relatively easy tune for this installment of Tune of the Month. Swing a Bellevue can be found on the Moreno disc [i]Le fils du vent[/i].

A) Harmony: Chords, Chord Shapes, Substitutions:
Because this is a quick installment in the series, I won't go into all the details, but here's a basic overview:

What I'm thinking of as the head is basically Am and E7-this is the section of the tune that makes the first statement and recurs twice after that. One thing I will mention is that we often use different voicings for this section to differentiate from the solo sections.

After the head, the first solo section moves to A [i]Major [/i]and E7, then A Minor and E7.

After that, the head is restated over Am and E7.

The next solo section is similar to the first, but with some repeats, so the order of the major and minor sections is a bit different. Listening to the track included below will let you hear where the tonality changes.

Restate the head, and end.

B) Head:
Dorado Schmitt (who wrote the tune) has a wonderful way of making simple ideas very musical...here he outlines the Am to E change with a very direct statement-using octaves really punches the sound. Try something like this for the head:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------10---9--10---12-------
------------------9---------------------9-------9---8----9---11-------
--7---9-----10-----------7---6----9----------10---9---10--12-------
------------------7---------------------7------9----8----9---11--------
--5---7-----8-------------5---4---7-------------------------------------


-----------------------------------7--8--7-----------------------------------
-----------------------------------7------7---------------------------------
--------------9--------------------7------7-----------------------------------
--6--9--10------6--7----9--10-----------------------------------------------
--------------7-------------------------------------------------------------
--4--7--8-------4---5---7---8------------------------------------------------


C) Improvisation:
Despite the apparent simplicity of this tune, improvising over it can be a real challenge. The harmony is relatively static, so creating interest falls to the soloist even more than usual...Moreno, of course, needs no help.
For the rest of us, paying attention to the changing third in the major to minor change is an obvious thing to focus on. As always, favorite lines and ideas are welcome. If you see something in [url=https://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/item--Gypsy-Picking--gypsypicking.html]Gypsy Picking[/url] or[url=https://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/item--Gypsy-Fire--gypsy_fire.html]Gypsy Fire[/url] that you think applies, point it out!

D) Intro:
The bass intro can be approximated on guitar with something like this:

------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
------------6/7---------------------------------6/7-------------------4-5-6-7-
--5--8--7--------4--5--8--7--0--4--5--8--7--------4--5--6--7--8-----------

Using octaves on the last, chromatic bit can be helpful if you don't have a bassist.

Here's the Moreno track-if you don't own [url=https://shoppingcart.djangobooks.com/cgi-bin//cp-app.cgi?usr=&rnd=5755323&rrc=N&cip=24.19.35.240&pg=prod&ref=moreno_fils&cat=european_cd&catstr=HOME:CDs:european_cd]Le fils du vent[/url], go buy it!

Comments

  • JackJack western Massachusetts✭✭✭✭
    Posts: 1,752
    By the by, can anyone tell me where to find the first recording of this tune? I assume Dorado recorded it first, but I don't know for certain...

    Thanks,
    Jack.
  • AmpsmasherAmpsmasher Oakland, California✭✭✭ Christelle Caillot
    Posts: 51
    Where can I hear dorado play this tune, off what album?
  • Posts: 22
    Hi! I'm having a lot of fun with this tune, great stuff Justjack. I'm afraid I don't know anything about the original version of the song, I only have Stephane Wrembels version on Gypsy Rumble. Just felt I should say that these tune of the months are much appreciated, they're helping my playing. Take easy
  • JackJack western Massachusetts✭✭✭✭
    Posts: 1,752
    Cool-I didn't realize it was on Gypsy Rumble; I still haven't heard that. I've been looking for a Dorado version, but nothing's turned up...
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