"Summertime" 'Am'

[henrymouni]

Words and Music by George Gershwin, Du Bose, Dorothy Heyward & Ira Gershwin.

From Porgy & Bess.


 Sum--mer time ..... an'   the   liv---in'    is ..   eas---y. .....
   6      5      6,         -5      5     -5   6      5,    -3     2.

 Fish   are   jump--n' .....  an'   the  cot--ton    is ..   high. .......
  6      5      -5     -5,        5      -3     5    -3    5,     -4.

 Oh ... yo'   dad--dys   rich ....  an'   yo'   ma   is   good ..  look--in'. ....
  6,       5      6      6      6,       -5     5     -5    6     5,        -3    2,

 So   hush ... lit---tle   ba---by .... don't    .. you    cry. ......
  2      3,       2     3    -3     5,       6  -5,       5     -3.

 One   of   these  morn--ings ....   you   goin'   to   rise     up ..  sing--in', ........
   6      6      5       6        6,          6       -5     5    -5  6    5,     -3    2,

 then   you'll   spread   your    wings ....  an'   you'll  take    to   the ..  sky. ......
    6       5         -5        -5       -5,          5      -3        5    -3     5,     -4.

 But   'till    that   morn---in' ....  there's   a    noth--in'   can ..  harm   you,....
   6      6      5         6       6,         -5       5     -5     6      5,       -3       2,

 with    dad---dy   an'  ..  mam---my ..   stand...--in' ..   by.
   2        3      2     3,        -3       5,       6   -5,     5,      -3

[Gnarly He Man]

The Chromatic has a nice minor 6 chord, seems a shame not to be able to use it for this song . . .
So with no disrespect meant, here is the tune in Dm as well.

 Sum--mer time.......an'   the   liv---in'    is   eas---y, .....
   -7   -6   -7          7     -6     7     -7    -6   -5    -3

fish   are   jump--n';.......an'   the  cot--ton   is    high. .......
 -7    -6    7       7         -6     -5   -6    7    -6     6

yo'   dad--dys   rich,...an'   yo'   ma   is   good   look--in', ....
-7   -7     -6     -7      7     -6     7   -7   -6      -5    -3

so   hush,.. lit---tle   ba---by,... do......n't     you    cry. ......
-3    5        -3    5    -5     -6     -7      7       -6      -5

[henrymouni]

Excellent Gary,
  I play it in 'Bm' cos' that's the key of the backing track I have.
The more variations, the more interesting it is!!


Henry.

[Jinxter]

I love this tune.

It was the first thing I learned on chrom. That must have been at least a week ago and it's sounding better every day.

I'm adding grace-notes, using different tremolo effects, adding an octave and a bit of improv.

Oops! getting a bit carried away here, but it is a great tune. 

I'd recommend every beginner tries this.

[WaxwingSlain]

I'd recommend every beginner tries this.

Man, that's the truth.  And yes, go ahead with the grace notes and trills and octaves and make it a real burner. 

Like you, this was one of the tunes I learned first and convinced me that I could swing on this instrument.   Beginners have every right to find a simple-to-play tune and make it their own.  And then, one day when you're sick of scales and tunes in Db you can pull "Summertime" out to remind you why you and your chromatic harmonica chose each other in the first place.

[Gnarly He Man]

Reckon I'm gonna have to play it more often, now that Summertime is here.
Hello to all you fellow chrom enthusiasts--nice to be one of you.

[macdjerf]

Hi!


I have just started to play Summertime and I have found an Am backing track that sounds good and I wonder if it is ok to play the Cromatic in C or should it also be in Am?
Should I be playing in some other key, o[size=78%]r should I play with a different backing track?[/size]


(I have read the tabs at the beginning of this post and I think I can play it with some practice.)
I understand this is an old post, but maybe it can be activated. 


All the best
Mac

[SlideMeister]

"A minor" IS the relative minor for the key of C.
play  -3, 5, 6, -7 (a minor chord) then blow 6 to start the number as Henry said in the O.P. to do it in A Minor

[SlideMeister]

While I like A minor, I personally think it's to high a key to use on a 12 holer unless its Orchestra tuned.  A 14 or 16 hole axe will allow you to play the piece on a lower register. On a 12 holer, lately G minor seems to work the best for me. 

@ge

[macdjerf]

Thanks a lot for your reply!
I´m focused on getting one good tune right and now I have a good start.


I´ll try it on my CX-12, but now you made me wonder; I like mellow sound - which harmonica to buy if it should be a 16?   
In Sweden there are mostly Hohner harmonicas, but I could of course send for one.


All the best
Mac

[SlideMeister]

Any 14 or 16 hole harmonica will give you the extra range, as will Orchestra tuned models offered by Seydel, which extends the bottom end two holes and takes them off the top end and most feel is an exceptable trade-off.

@ge

PS Any Tenor tuned 12 holer will also work, but they can also be considered too low for most stuff

[Jimmy Halfnote]

Any 14 or 16 hole harmonica will give you the extra range, as will Orchestra tuned models offered by Seydel, which extends the bottom end two holes and takes them off the top end and most feel is an exceptable trade-off.

@ge

PS Any Tenor tuned 12 holer will also work, but they can also be considered too low for most stuff

 Eh too low  ?  The tenor is no lower than a 16 holer , in the case of 'Summertime' in Am then it can be played as Henry tabbed OR  an octave lower, the tenor affords two choices.
             How many times do we really need the top octave of a middle C ? How many times do we need to go below the middle C ?   Anyone set on a 12 hole in C should definitely consider a Tenor ,  this 'too low' opinion in my opinion does not stand up to scrutiny, is a tenor voice too low ?  Why should grown men be singing like choir boys or straining sopranos, i don't think the 12 hole middle C has been favourable to the reputation of the chromatic, that top octave has no quality , in my opinion it is of novelty value and the novelty rapidly wears off.

                                                                                                                                  jh.

[smojoe]

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DdDBwh9_dAzA&sa=U&ei=qrv5VJirMMG5ggTyi4HQAQ&ved=0CBsQtwIwAQ&usg=AFQjCNEJn3o-E56K-byzbZvWZQvwV-JjvA

[henrymouni]

http://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.youtube.com/watch%3Fv%3DdDBwh9_dAzA&sa=U&ei=qrv5VJirMMG5ggTyi4HQAQ&ved=0CBsQtwIwAQ&usg=AFQjCNEJn3o-E56K-byzbZvWZQvwV-JjvA

Brilliant!!




Henry.

[Jimmy Halfnote]

 In Am to boot Smo-joe !   Thanks for cheering me up, sick as a dog at the moment. Are you playing on a C chromatic   ? 

                                                                                                                     jh.

[wolfman]

 
 Hope you get to feeling better soon Jimmy.
Are you making plans to come to Danny's party?

       Roman

[Jimmy Halfnote]

 Hope you get to feeling better soon Jimmy.
Are you making plans to come to Danny's party?

       Roman

  Thanks Roman, how are you ?  Think i may have to swallow half a bottle of that 'rare stuff'  , would really love to get to one of Danny's shindigs, have to check a few things though, such as medical insurance , recent record is a bit iffy. Best wishes to all.

  Smo-joe , you owe me a 270 box. I grabbed a cold 270 from a box to see what key you were in, now i can't find the empty box anywhere, have hunted high and low.

                                                                                                              jh.

[wolfman]

  Getting along pertty well,thanks for asking,Jimmy.

        Roman

[smojoe]

Jim, I think I used a G chromatic played in Gnarley he-man's 'suggested key' of Dminor. Result? A minor? Not sure though?.
I have played it in Am ON a C chromo, but this time, since there's no bridge, I wanted the diads, triads, quadrads, or whatever ya'all call them. Just to sound different. In other words...splits. 

s.j.

[pax]

Summertime is pretty cool in Bbm, a button in approach on a C chromatic...I believe there's an Errol Garner version in Bbm, just a thought.

[SlideMeister]

Any 14 or 16 hole harmonica will give you the extra range, as will Orchestra tuned models offered by Seydel, which extends the bottom end two holes and takes them off the top end and most feel is an exceptable trade-off.

@ge

PS Any Tenor tuned 12 holer will also work, but they can also be considered too low for most stuff

Eh too low  ?  The tenor is no lower than a 16 holer , in the case of 'Summertime' in Am then it can be played as Henry tabbed OR  an octave lower, the tenor affords two choices.
             How many times do we really need the top octave of a middle C ? How many times do we need to go below the middle C ?   Anyone set on a 12 hole in C should definitely consider a Tenor ,  this 'too low' opinion in my opinion does not stand up to scrutiny, is a tenor voice too low ?  Why should grown men be singing like choir boys or straining sopranos, i don't think the 12 hole middle C has been favourable to the reputation of the chromatic, that top octave has no quality , in my opinion it is of novelty value and the novelty rapidly wears off.                                                                                                                                 jh. 

Agreed, but the reason I don't care much for the tenor is that I never use the two bottom holes anyway (just like on a 16 holer) and there's no mid/high to work with on a tenor. I had Hering Baritono for three or four years and played it I think, three times.    That's why I prefer the 14's (haven't tried Orchestra tuned 12's yet)

[macdjerf]

Thanks for your comments!
I appreciate them very much.


However … I´m still unsure of which to settle for.


Has any one played the Hohner "Toots Mellow tone" ?
Is it really more mellow than the regular Hohner Super Chromonica 12 hole or am I just as well of with a Hohner 64?


#AJ - The orchestra models are quite expensive, can one "hear" the bucks?


Mac

[SlideMeister]

#AJ - The orchestra models are quite expensive, can one "hear" the bucks?


Mac

Dunno! Can't afford one myself   When I need the extra holes, I just play a 14 holer.

[macdjerf]

Thanks AJ! 


Mac

[jackwhale]

Henry:  Your extensive list of tabs is truly wonderful.  I'm sure you've been thanked a million times but make mine one more thank you.

As someone just switching from guitar to chromatic (blankety, blank arthritis in my left hand), its been enjoyable to play songs I was working on the guitar with my C chromatic.  I just sat down and played Summertime with Joe Pass!  And I sounded pretty good.  lol 

Now if we could just get Paul Desmond and Jim Hall to come back and replay all their songs in the key of C. 

[henrymouni]

Henry:  Your extensive list of tabs is truly wonderful.  I'm sure you've been thanked a million times but make mine one more thank you.

As someone just switching from guitar to chromatic (blankety, blank arthritis in my left hand), its been enjoyable to play songs I was working on the guitar with my C chromatic.  I just sat down and played Summertime with Joe Pass!  And I sounded pretty good.  lol 

Now if we could just get Paul Desmond and Jim Hall to come back and replay all their songs in the key of C.

Most appreciated!

Thank you!



Henry.