Concepts for Comping: Lesson 19
- Jay EuDaly
- Aug 11
- 4 min read
AUGUST 2025 NEWSLETTER
Concepts for Comping: Lesson 19
Song: My Funny Valentine
We now have the last tune for this stage of the Concepts for Comping lesson series. This is the 10th song used to illustrate how open and close-voiced 7th chords, otherwise known as, “shell voicings” are used in actual songs. After this, we will go to the next theory-step of this lesson series, which involves adding a 4th note to the 3-note open and close-voiced 7th chords that we've been using up to now.
I chose “My Funny Valentine” because it has a Minor Suspension, also known as a “Minor Walk-Down.” Minor Suspensions can be problematic from a voicing point of view when accompanying, so I wanted to do a song that contained one; or in this case, three: lines 1, 3 & 7.
As always, I've marked the II-V-I's and also in this lesson I talk about the concept of the tritone sub as used in a II-V-I. See the middle of line 6 and the last bar of line 8:
This lesson has chord charts, fretboard diagrams and a video:
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Video Lesson: Unique Chord Voicings
Lesson 3: E-Stuff and A-Stuff
This is from my lesson series called, “Unique Chord Voicings.” I'm using the term, "Unique Voicings" in a technical sense: the chords usually involve open strings and so cannot be transposed. The context for the term is very guitaristic. They are available in only one position on a single root - thus the term "Unique."
This video concerns the Open E and Open A chord positions, both Major and Minor as well as some 7th and 9th chords.
Think you know all about Open E and Open A? Think again!
For the full backstory of the Unique Chord Voicings lesson series see Altered States - Unique Voicings.
For more free content and info on Unique Voicings, see the Unique Voicings Product Page.
Blogs Published Since Last Newsletter
Polytone Amps: I loved the sound; clean, warm, dark and round. For rock or pop it could be brightened up and it also worked great with pedals.
Dropped My Pick…: I am the least qualified person to judge my own playing because, by definition, I cannot be objective!
MusiDevo: Consider the implications of this guitar ad from 1967…
Concepts for Comping: Lesson 18: July 2025 Newsletter: Concepts for Comping, Video Lesson: 7th Chords, Blog Links, Tune of the Month: Body and Soul and more...
Tune of the Month
This is the great Stanley Turrentine's song, “Sugar.” It's become a standard tune at jam sessions everywhere. Commensurate with common practice, I simplified the melody line, eliminating the trills contained in the original. This makes the melody straight from the Minor Pentatonic scale, thus making it more “jam friendly.”
This recording is from my CD, Channeling Harold, featuring Rich VanSant on Hammond B3 and Ian Sikora on drums.
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