Manhattan Tutorial
In this lesson we’re going to create a solo piano arrangement of an old song ‘Manhattan’, published 1925 and written by Rodgers And Hart.
The tune appeared first time a revue The Garrick Gaieties, and has been recorded by numerous people from then on.
Notable Recordings To Check Out
Good versions to check out are of course the movie version, Blossom Dearie, Ella Fitzgerald, Dinah Washington, Oscar Peterson, just to name a few.
When learning a new song, I highly recommend to listen many vocal versions, that’s nice way to sing and learn the melody, and also you will get familiar with the lyrics.
Related Lessons
You can use the specific bassline demonstrated for playing solo piano, learning different blues heads, and for practising improvised solos.
Diminished 7th chords are not as common as major, minor and dominant chords and so you don’t see them as often in jazz standards.
Intros can be useful to extend the length of your performance and also to establish the tonality or the key in which the tune is being played.
Practice Tips
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The introduction contains some great blues material that you should transpose around different keys.
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The arrangement contains lots of 10 intervals in the left hand. If this is a stretch for you to reach, try rolling the chords as demonstrated.
- To learn more about this stride style of playing, listen to the recordings of Hank Jones, Oscar Peterson, Art Tatum, Earl Hines, and Teddy Wilson.
