Solo Bass Arrangement: "Autumn Leaves"

Johnny Mercer’s “Autumn Leaves” is a 32 bar, Jazz standard. “Autumn Leaves” is a 32 bar song, divided into four sections of eight measures each. The format is AABC. This arrangement is two choruses with a 4 measure introduction. This arrangement is for 4 string (or more) bass in standard tuning. Fingerstyle technique is used throughout. The Key is E Minor and The level of difficulty, on a scale of 1 - 10 is a 3. “Autumn Leaves” is a relatively easy, solo bass arrangement as the melody is interspersed nicely with the harmony and the longer melody notes are notes within the chord. Since you have probably played or at least heard the song hundreds if not thousands of times, the familiarity of it will make it easier to hear the individual parts as you play them. This arrangement, like many versions of this song, starts out rubato. This will give you an opportunity to learn the notes and the sound of the melody and harmony without having to swing right from the Start. A video performance can be found here: https://youtu.be/95E8i7wpt1k

These Solo Bass arrangements are written specifically for the bass. Taking into account all the possibilities as well as the limitations of the instrument. Arrangements are played one octave higher than written.

Michael Dimin is the author of The Chordal Approach as well as The Art of Solo Bass and was a solo bass lesson columnist for Bass Frontiers, Bassics, Bass Player Magazine and Bass Guitar Magazines. Mike was an original Ask The Pro at Talkbass.com and a teacher at Gerald Veasly’s Bass Boot Camp, The National Summer Guitar Workshop, The Collective and more. Michael Dimin’s new video series based on his revolutionary book, The CORE Method is changing, forever, the way bass is taught.