“Unforgettable” Tutorial
Welcome to this jazz standard tutorial on the tune “Unforgettable”.
“Unforgettable” follows an ABAC form, so that means that we have 2 identical A sections, and the C Section is similar to the B Section but with some slight variations in the last 3 bars.
“Unforgettable” Introduction Chords
In addition to a full arrangement, we also cover the 4 bar introduction which is heard in the famous Nat King Cole recording, and many other famous recordings of this tune.
Harmonic Fills & Reharmonisation
“Unforgettable” is a tricky tune to play because there is a lot of space in the form both harmonically. Throughout the form, there are places where we have the same chord for 2 whole measures, and in one case, the same chord for 4 whole measures. Having so much space between the chords can make it challenging to arrange the tune.
However, this also gives us the opportunity to explore some common reharmonisations and harmonic fills that can be applied to many different tunes.
Melodic Fills & Ornamentation
In addition to this harmonic space, there are also sections where the melody is static for multiple bars. Again this can present challenges to the arranger as we need to find ways to fill that space with melodic fills, ornamentation, and other devices to create a full and complete sounding arrangement.
Sus Chords, Upper Structure Triads, & Passing Chords.
We’re going to apply a wide range of jazz theory in this lesson including; suspended harmony, upper structure triads, tritone substitution, and passing chords. For the majority of the tune we will apply a stride left hand style.
Related Lessons
Augmented chords and scales have become great tools for jazz piano improvisation allowing us to add interesting colou...
We explore inner voice movement over major, minor, and dominant chords, and then we will apply this information to a ...
We start the lesson by recapping the basic theory behind sus chords and then explore them in context of major and min...
Practice Tips
-
From listening to the various recordings of the tune, we can get lots of inspiration for melodic fills and ornamentation.
-
Any fills that we transcribe can be applied to other tunes that we are playing.
-
Listening is the ultimate source of inspiration.
-
Ensure that you are spending the time to listen and absorb information directly from your favourite recordings.
Great lesson, I played bass on a gig to this song and the piano player was all over the place.
Hi Hayden, I’m having so much fun learning your beautiful arrangement of Unforgettable. I see that it is a Medium Swing Ballad. Here are some questions on that.
1. How many beats per minute would one play on this?
2.. Are the eight notes swung?
3. Is there a triplet subdivision throughout the song?
Thank you! Rachel
Hi Rachel 👋
Happy New Year and great questions!
Yes I am indeed playing this with a triplet feel.
It’s interesting as I created this arrangement many years ago and I wasn’t very aware of the underlying rhythmic feel at the time. I created the arrangement by listening to different recordings and trying to emulate them.
In fact, what I am doing here is playing with a “slow triplet feel”.
This is the same concept that we explore in our slow blues courses. Check out this lesson: pianogroove.com/blues-piano-lessons/how-to-count-slow-blues/ – every quarter note is subdivided by 3 which creates that spacious vibe. It’s almost like we are ‘stretching’ the music, and ‘squeezing all of the juice out of it’, harmonically-speaking.
Of course we don’t play on every subdivision, but counting or even better ‘feeling’ that underlying subdivision really helps to lock into the style and groove.
If I was to learn this arrangement again (I’d have to study my own lesson as I haven’t played this song in years!) I feel that I would have a much better appreciation and delivery of that underlying triplet pulse.
—-
I just listened to the arrangement again and in some areas I play ‘rubato’ which essentially means that I move out of time and play freely, and then drop back into the triplet-feel. This can be nice to add a little more variety and expression.
—-
On a related note, I covered a Christmas arrangement of “I’ll Be Home For Christmas” by Beegie Adair which has a similar slow triplet feel, you can find that seminar here: pianogroove.com/live-seminars/beegie-adairs-ill-be-home-for-christmas/
One thing you will notice with this arrangement is that the left hand is a little ‘staggered’ in places, often by adding chromatic approach notes which also helps with the groove. I’m sure it’s possible to apply this technique to “Unforgettable” too.
—-
If you like this style of playing – I love it by the way! – I’d recommend to study this arrangement, the Beegie Adair Xmas seminar, and the slow blues course simultaneously. They are very much related and it’s nice to see how the same rhythmic feel can manifest in different songs and different styles of music.
I hope that helps Rachel – and have fun working on this!
Cheers,
Hayden
Thank you Hayden! That was so helpful and I really appreciate that you gave me links so other courses and a seminar using that triplet feel too. I will definitely give them a go!
Rachel