A Creative Approach to Standards pt.1: Someday My Prince Will Come

John Stowell and Jamie Taylor use the familiar chord changes to "Someday My Prince Will Come" to explore the modes of the melodic and harmonic minor. Recorded as a long-distance conversation between the two guitarists, the class moves between playing and discussion, with each taking turns through the tune and unpacking what the other played.

What's covered

• Modes of the melodic and harmonic minor applied to the tune's progression
• How these modes work over altered dominant chords
• Tonic diminished treated as Lydian #9 harmony
• Using the melody as a reference and resource when soloing — shaping lines from the song rather than spitting out riffs
• Singing the melody to internalize a tune's form, especially for odd-length modern repertoire
• Triads and right-hand technique in John and Jamie's discussion

The harmony covered has broader applications beyond this one song, since portions of the progression occur in many other standards. A PDF of the tune is provided with the class.