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Autumn Leaves Guitar Chords Lesson

Autumn Leaves                    

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Song Background
The popular song Autumn Leaves originally came from the French song “les feuilles mortes” (literally ” the dead leaves”) written in 1945 by Joseph Kosma with lyrics by poet  Jacques Prevert. Johnny Mercer wrote the English lyrics for it in 1947. Three famous versions of the song are by Edith Piaf, Cannonball Adderly and chet Baker al of which I have included in my recomendations below. The song has a very familiar chord structure that is worth learning as you will hear elements of it many different songs.
Suggested Listening

Edith Piaf

Album – Autumn Leaves

In this version Edith Piaf first of all starts off singing in English and then switches to French. She sings with a wonderful husky voice and really brings out the emotion in the song.


Joe Pass

Album – Unforgettable

Joe plays this one with a nylon strung guitar. in my video guitar lessons I play with steel strung archtop guitar. I do own a nylon strung guitar and often pick it up. I find the different sustain and sound bringout different elements of my playing

Cannonball Adderley

Album – Somethin’ Else

List for the groove at the start of this recording which lays the ground perfectly for Miles Davis’s trumpet

Jim Hall, Ron Carter

Album – Alone Together

I’ve included this recording in my recommendations particularly for the interplay between the two intruments. Jim Hall doesn’t play many guitar chords, mainly playing single lines intersperced with the odd guitar chord. This is a great guitar lesson in duo playing

 

 

Chet Baker

Album – She Was Too Good To Me

 

Which artist’s version of Autumn Leaves would you recommend? Tell me about it and I can feature it here

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