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Ted’s comping study with compilation pages by Paul Vachon

Ted's Original Lesson sheet
MyFoolishHeart_Ted Greene_CompingStudy_1993-06-21_p1.pdf
MyFoolishHeart_Ted Greene_CompingStudy_1993-06-21_p2.pdf

My compilation pages, changes and comparisons
MyFoolishHeart_Ted Greene_CompingStudy_Notation_p1.pdf
MyFoolishHeart_Ted Greene_CompingStudy_Notation_p2.pdf

Attached are Ted's comping pages for "My Foolish Heart" and my compilation pages, which combine Ted's chord diagrams along with standard notation and lyrics.

This is not a chord-melody arrangement, but an accompaniment study—however, you can use these chord forms as a basis for constructing a chord-melody arrangement by modifying them slightly.  If you've played a few of Ted's arrangements it isn't hard to imagine how he might fit the melody in around these chord forms.
A few words about the comping study:

  • The original page was for a student, and Ted left some of the chord names with just the letter, not the chord "flavor" or "color".  The student had penciled these in, and you can see some of the chords with faint writing.
  • I removed Ted's rhythm slash marks on the chords, since it wasn't necessary to indicate the measure breaks after aligning the chords in the score. (Except p.2, line 3.)
  • For both the Bb13 chords on p.1, line 3, you'll need to use the George Van Eps fifth-finger slant technique to get the top 2 strings (unless you use your thumb for the 6th string note).  With this technique you should be able sustain the 6th, 4th, and 1st strings of the Bb13 chord and just swap strings for fingers 1 and 2 to get the Bb13(b9b5) chord.
  • The A11(b5) on p.2, line 2 is an interesting name for that chord...to me it sounds like Ebmaj7(#11), but I guess Ted was thinking V of...the next chord.  That passage — A11(b5) - D7(b9#5) - Gm11(maj7) - G13 — is very rich sounding.  I love it!
  • The Gm(add9) chord on p.2, line 3 (first chord on that line) is a fantastic fingering.  As you can see, Ted wrote the fingerings on the chord.  Again, you need to use the GVE fifth-finger technique.  This is a new fingering for me...and it's pretty easy to grab, despite its look and spread.  A new friend for me.
  • The Fm11 on p.2, line 3 originally had an asterisk next to it.  I removed it here, because on Ted's original page the comment that accompanied the asterisk was missing.  I believe it was at the bottom of the page, but it was cut off when it was scanned.  I'm guessing it had something to do with the fact that the chord is F minor, but the melody contains an A-natural note, which is the major 3rd.  Nevertheless, this voicing works fine.
  • The Em9(b5) on p.2, line 3 is a pretty tough chord to finger.  I'm guessing that Ted intended the little finger to do a double-stop for strings 2 and 3.  This is pretty rough for me, but maybe you'll find it easier.
  • I needed to shrink the chords on p.2, line 4 in order to fit them without going to a third page.
  • If you decide to stay in the key of Bb, then don't use the turnaround at the end of p.2, since that is intended for a modulation to the key of B (up a 1/2 step).
  • The melody on the lead-sheet is slightly different from what I'm used to for this song. I learned it from the old Real Book (which doesn't include lyrics).  The Real Book's melody line and the lyrics didn't exactly fit together, so I needed to refer to a different chart, which had slight melodic and rhythmic variations (which are probably more accurate than the Real Book 1st edition).

Hope you enjoy these pages.
—Paul

 

 
   
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