Guitar Lesson: Turn Any Tune Into a Chord-Melody Solo

In this lesson, part of a series on chord-melody approaches, Greg Ruby demonstrates how to harmonize a melody or solo using Django Reinhardt’s iconic interpretation of “I’ll See You in My Dreams” as an example. Check out the notation in the July/August 2021 issue of AG, or at bit.ly/3ok66w8.

[@michaeltrowbridge1061]

Nice Lesson Greg!

[@joshnova9163]

Superb lesson!!

[@wjamyers]

this is the best how-to for chord melody i've found... i'm just tired of having to rely on other musicians, the best guitarists don't need support to carry a room, and that's my goal, to convert those moments where the song just crashes and burns into flowing rhythm and melody to carry the room.

[@sockenfrank]

this is the best part of your series. And by the way the best lesson in matters of chord melody that I have seen here. thanks for that Greg. I have to get your aleman book. fingerstyle jazz is unfortunately underrepresented.

[@grkuntzmd]

Your point about being able to add any diatonic note to a triad is very interesting. I assume that it doesn't really matter if you have a lead sheet that suggests a different variation (e.g. lead sheet has a G and you use a G6 instead); you will not get a dissonant sound.