... how many variations of "My Funny Valentine" are you planning to play this weekend ? ...

1. Freeform jazz guitar
2. Jazz swing.
3. Traditional ballad-vibes.

Love the changes!


Russ

Can somebody post a chart of lyrics/chords? I have been doing the same arrangement for years, and it would be neat to see what others are using.
Thanks,
DonM

Movie Swing aroung 98 bpm
or
Simple Rhumba with rambling jazz melody lines
and usually medley it with "Feelings".

"Is your figure less than sleek"
"Is your mouth a little weak"
Not singing this to my valentine.

Eddie

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lVZJhNe8Yk4

works great.

Here is the one I use Don...

Dennis

"When you open it to speak, are you smart...?"

Yep, discretion the better part of valor!

Mind you, the wife (now departed) and me had it as our First Dance at our wedding. Can't play it any more without tearing up...

Thanks Dennis, that's pretty much how I do it, with varying styles and tempos to suit my mood.
Diki, that must me tough to go through every February. BTW, the package is in the mail.
DonM

"Is your figure less than sleek" (thought it was 'Greek')

Yup Diki...you are right. I've probably been singing the "sound alike" lyrics for years...and you are the first to catch me. Thanks.
I guess neither I nor Christine will be invited to sing at the next Super Bowl.:)

Sorry for your loss.
Eddie

Eddie, I'd rather hear you than CA! And I'm totally sober.
If this global warming keeps up, I'm coming to FL to see you and Diki!
BRRRR.
DonM

Don't forget Jim Brickman's Valentine with Martina McBride on vocals. It's a great song.

Joe

Yep, My Funny Valentine, probably one of the top ten expected 'to know by memory' songs by every pro gigging musician out there.
Here's some insightful background analysis of this classic tune, which I call my 'all February month long' song for obvious reasons.
I especially enjoy showcasing the song's descending base line in the first 5 measures (C-B-Bb-A-Ab), which means, when playing it on the arranger, requires utilizing the arranger 'on bass' feature.

Scott ... I agree with you regarding the 'on bass' ... glad I have that option on my kn6000 ...
I'll be playing it as a bossa, and a ballad using a Lounge Piano style, muting the accompanying piano parts ...
here's one of the classics:
my funny valentine ella fitzgerald

I found another great version:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=biw2lABwAuI&NR=1
DonM

here's the link ...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBoblDKUK9E

Yep, My Funny Valentine, probably one of the top ten expected 'to know by memory' songs by every pro gigging musician out there.
I especially enjoy showcasing the song's descending base line in the first 5 measures (C-B-Bb-A-Ab), which means, when playing it on the arranger, requires utilizing the arranger 'on bass' feature.


Gr8 minds think alike Scott, That is exactly how I play it!!

I really must get over to the west coast and get jammin with you my man!!

Dennis

Yeah Dennis, that would be great, & a good excuse to plan another West Coast Synthzone member Jam,
as it's been nearly 7 years now since we held our last one back in 2004



Top Row: Left to Right: Bill Forest(Bebop); Tom Griglock (TomTomSF); Eric Bott (EricB); Tom Cavanaugh; Scott Yee (Scottyee)

Bottom Row: Left to Right: Luiktoh; Nigel Spencer (Nigel); Kerry Spencer; Roger (RMepstead); Clif Anderson; Unknown (sorry, forgot his name).

One of my favorites and definitely a required tune on Valentine's Day.

Just a few things I'm interested in knowing.

I wonder what you and others use as a style? It's strange, but, years ago, on the afternoon I spent with Oscar Peterson on his new PSR-9000, he suggested that if I wanted to put a different spin on a slow swing ballad or jazz ballad, I could try using a 3/4 style (this also works great the other way around), and I now presently play My Funny Valentine using the JazzWaltzSlow in the Tyros4 (also in the Tyros3 and T2) at a tempo of about 90 bpm as change from using Dreamy Ballad (in the Swing&Jazz section in Tyros4)

I use the same descending bass line chords at the beginning of, and near the end of, the verse, but, I'm also wondering if you, and/or any others here, like me, play the 16 bar intro that has the words...


"Behold the way out fine feathered friend to virtue doth parade.

Thou knowest not my dim witted friend, the picture thou hast made.

Thy vacant brow, and thy tousled hair conceal thy good intent

Thou noble upright, truthful, sincere and slightly dopey gent."


I like doing the tune as both a jazz ballad and a jazz waltz, the latter often bringing a look of surprise on any other musicians present at my gig.

This year, I'm not gigging on Valentines Day, but I'll be playing the tune at my home, hopefully to an audience of one.

Ian

Here's how I do MFV on my Tyros 4: "Jazz Guitar Club" style @90bmp + 3 regs.

For the first AA, I use Variation A: Fingered on Bass, LH Voice, Organ Accmp 4, RH Voice layered: Vibe,Clean Gtr,Concert Grand.
At the Bridge, I use Varation C (double time feel): Fingered Mode, LH voice (piano) and set to fingered mode, to support playing smooth voice leading style chord inversions. I also play vocal fills on the keyboard using the S.A. 'scat vocalists ' which nicely augment my singing of the lyrics.

Ian, would love to hear how you do the tune in 3, so if you want, you can easily expand your limited 'audience of one' to many, by simply recording and sharing it with us.

I never play the intro lines...Half the audience would not have a clue about what was actually being said

Seriously, I find that with the standards in my rep, in the venues I play at, most folks appreciate and listen to the main heads only, albeit in many different ways and improvs..Start singing/playing some of the intro lines and you lose 'em.

Dennis

oops, almost forgot Ian's question about the verse. Like Dennis, I too don't normally perform that section, but certainly appreciate hearing them when presented in a more theatre cabaret setting. It certainly brings a lot more understanding of the main song itself, as they were presented in the original musical.

One arranger feature I'd like to see is way to force 3/4 and 4/4 in the same timebase. Most of the time, you get a 1/4 note equivalency, so you go from a jazz waltz to a jazz swing, and rather than four beats in the space of three, it keeps plowing on at the same tempo...

A Bar=Bar button would be cool.

Ha ha...hey, Dennis, that's where my playing instrumentals exclusively comes in pretty handy...

One night I played Funny Valentine in several languages.

Ian

Yes Yes Yes!!! Good one Diki..That would be so cool...Can it be done though do you think? IN the way you suggested?

I mean on the G70 you can swap between two UPS's with pretty much no lag (I did O.G.D.S.) that way, two UPS's 1 and 2 on the UPS page...

I think also it can be done on the Yammies and Korgs, but I have not looked into yet as OGDS has been out of the playing roster for a while.

Dennis

Yes, you can do it if the UPG's have the equivalent tempos already programmed in, but when you are simply changing styles on the fly, no...

BTW... OGDS?

on green dolphin streeet

Oops!

ON my kn6000 for "Green Dolphin Street" I set one 'Panel Memory' -registration on other kbs? - with a latin style and the voices/tempo/etc. that I want I then another Panel Memory with a jazz style when I want to switch from one to another I use a fill-in and then press the PM button I want ... transitions nicely ...

PS ... doesn't work quite as well for 3/4 to 4/4 ...