Working On A Chord Melody

I have just returned to my long neglected attempts at arranging jazz chord melodies for guitar. This time I chose the standard “A Day In The Life Of A Fool.” I wasn’t sure I would be able to come up with anything interesting for this song but it seems to be going pretty well. Amazing guitarists like George Benson, Johnny Smith, and Ted Greene could crank these things out in a heartbeat and throw in mind-blowing technique and runs, but for me they are a lot of work. I love doing them, but it doesn’t come easy. Which is why I tend to keep my arrangements fairly simple. 

The trick to creating a chord melody is to keep the melody note as the top note of any chords you add. Then it is simply a matter of choosing good sounding chords and knowing when to add them. Then adding any fills or arpeggios you might want to add. 

I notate the chord melody as I create it using Sibelius notation software, then I learn to play it through smoothly, then I memorize it, and then I make a video. So stay tuned. I’ll let you know when it’s posted.