Cry Me a River

[Bucc5207]

I hate jazz, but I like this song, so I'm trying to learn it. I found a tab score that looks like the accompaniment for the Julie London version, but my ultimate goal is a fingerstyle solo instrumental. It's utterly alien and makes no sense and my fat fingers are tripping all over each other. It's like week two of learning to play all over again (but without the fingertip pain). Any tips for finding my way through this?

[JonPR]

The guitar on the Julie London version was played by Barney Kessel, serious jazz dude, so it's not surprising you're finding that tricky! (In fact, if it's the same as the tab I've got, it's only Kessel's accompaniment, no melody, so wouldn't make a solo guitar arrangement - except perhaps for those parts between the vocal phrases.)

My advice is to find a lead sheet for it, melody and chords, and work out your own version. Of course, you'd need to read notation in that case ...
The tip is to keep the melody correct, no missing notes, and fill in as much of the chords (or bass line) as you can beneath it. Often you might only need one other note beneath the melody as a hint of bass or chord.

There is a famous guitar solo version by Davy Graham:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tWeejHJxGjs
Yes, 1959! First anyone heard of him, and before he invented DADGAD tuning... It's not exactly an orthodox jazz chord melody arrangement, more a loose bluesy version. (The way that chick looks at him in the film (1:15)... I bet 1000 guys decided to learn to play guitar after that... remembering to turn their collars up of course...)

Tab here:
http://www.guitartabsexplorer.com/gr...-river-tab.php
(You can find youtubes of others playing this arrangement.)

[Bucc5207]

Thanks Jon! You have bracketed my problem.

I probably have the same tab you have. It leaves little or no room for melody notes, for a human with only five left-hand fingers. In fact, the score contains only one (1) open-string note. On the other, um, hand, I think the Graham arrangement is a little sparse. I'm aiming for something in between. Lead sheet sounds like a useful avenue.

[moondoggie999]

I loved TrebleClef's version. He doesn't have tab but this vid might give you some ideas

http://youtu.be/Tsn2i16_TnY

[Bucc5207]

Originally Posted by moondoggie999

I loved TrebleClef's version. He doesn't have tab but this vid might give you some ideas

Yeah, that's what I had in mind! I'll have to watch that very closely. Prolly can't duplicate his do, though.

Thanks!

[Archtop Guy]

I play this song too, and love it. I learned the version from Ella Fitzgerald's Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie album, just her and a quartet with Herb Ellis on guitar.

But there's no substitute for knowing the melody and the harmony.

Cry Me A River


Enjoy.

[Bucc5207]

Originally Posted by Archtop Guy

I play this song too, and love it. I learned the version from Ella Fitzgerald's Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie album, just her and a quartet with Herb Ellis on guitar.

But there's no substitute for knowing the melody and the harmony.

Cry Me A River


Enjoy.

Awesome. Thanks!

[halfmoon]

There's an arrangement by Ton Van Bergeyk done by Daddy Stovepipe here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nbX...eature=related

He also has done a tab for it, likely here:

http://www.daddystovepipe.com/

If you don't see it, it's my impression he rotates his his shop window somewhat. If so, note him. He's a good guy and I would think would fix you up.

[Bucc5207]

Originally Posted by halfmoon

There's an arrangement by Ton Van Bergeyk done by Daddy Stovepipe here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0nbX...eature=related

Oh yeah! This begins to look doable. Thanks everyone!

[Bikewer]

Solo guitar, chord melody....That's what I've been working on as well; seriously for the last year or so.
You can take this as far as you like....Martin Simpson is just amazing....Complex moving bass lines while playing lovely harmonized chords at the same time....

However, I took heart from a Joe Pass video thats up on YouTube...He says, "figure out the melody and find chords that sound nice".

The rest is up to you. Often, I find the simplified chord-melody tabs you find on the net are not to my liking at all....So I just extract the melody and do my own harmonization.

Ted Greene is often held up as the master of chord theory, he has several books like his "Chord Chemistry".
However.....I've listened to a number of Greene's arrangements and frankly didn't care for them much....And I've looked at some of his chord shapes and for me they are mostly un-playable.
To quote Clint Eastwood....."A man's got to know his limitations."