I've been thinking recently about the massive number of Great American Songbook tunes I've been fortunate to learn over the past 35 or so years. More specifically, I've been wondering what to do with this knowledge. So, why not share it on the interwebs! I've started a new Songbook Series on my Instagram channel where I play one of these tunes every day, focusing on more obscure and less frequently performed tunes.
I also thought I might share some of the things I think about when playing Songbook tunes. I didn't originate any of these ideas - I'm only curating! Also, I would never purport to claim that anybody should follow the same principles. I'm merely sharing my own process in hopes some of it resonates within you.
Listen to great singers sing these songs. There are no shortage of great singers, be it Frank Sinatra, Nat Cole, Nancy Wilson, Ella Fitzgerald... I could go on forever. When I really want to hear how the greats phrase Songbook melodies, I tend to lean on the great singers more than instrumentalists.
Learn the lyrics. This one is primarily for instrumentalists. If I know 1,000 Songbook tunes, then I probably know the lyrics to about 972 of them. Again, this goes back to phrasing.
Learn the verses. The verses are like the lyrical introductions to Songbook tunes. Not all of them have verses, but many, if not most, do. There are several reasons I learn verses. Practically speaking, it is a good idea to know verses in case an artist with which I'm collaborating wants to include them. Also, some of them are just plain awesome and I like to include them in performances or arrangements. Most importantly, verses deepen my knowledge of and connection to the song, which makes me better equipped to perform it - at least I'd like to think so.
Don't overembellish the melodies. One of my saxophone teachers, Walt Weiskopf, used to get on my case about this when I was in high school, and he was 100% right. These melodies are perfect the way they are written. I have no business rewriting them. There will plenty of opportunities for me to improvise later on.
I hope you find some wisdom in this list. If not, feel free to disregard.
Commentaires