This week’s post features a guitar arrangement of the jazz standard, “Just Friends” written by Klemmer & Lewis.

Following is a brief harmonic analysis of the piece, designed to help you identify the cadences (eg. II-Vs) that make up the overall chord progression along with their corresponding scales. A proper understanding of this information is crucial in order to properly learn and ultimately improvise over any jazz standard, not to mention create an arrangement for it.

Here is a summary of the harmonic activity for “Just Friends” broken down into 4 measure segments. A PDF with the entire arrangement is available for download at the very bottom.

Please be sure to watch the video lesson if possible with your guitar in hand for additional “technique” related info and a better overall understanding of the arrangement.

Analysis Measures 1-4:

• 1. Cmaj7: IVmaj7 / Lydian.
• 2. same as previous.
• 3. Cmin7: IV-7 / Dorian.
• 4. F7: bVII7 / Mixolydian.  NOTE: C-7 and F7 form a II-V cadence. However they are also modal interchange chords borrowed from the parallel natural minor tonality.

 

Analysis Measures 5-8

• 5. Gmaj7: Imaj7 / Ionian.
• 6. same as previous.
• 7. Bbmin7: sub II-7 of the V7 / Dorian.
• 8. Eb7: sub V7/V7 / Lydian Dominant. NOTE: Bbmin7 and Eb7 form a tritone substitute II-V of which the Eb7 resolves half step down to the upcoming D7.

Analysis Measures 9-12

• 9. Amin7: II-7 / Dorian.
• 10.D7: V7 / Mixolydian.
• 11. F#min7b5: secondary II-7b5 of the VI-7 / Locrian | B7alt: secondary V7 of the VI-7 / Super Locrian
• 12. Emin7: VI-7 / Aeolian.

Analysis Measures 13-16

• 13. A7: Secondary V7 of the V7 / Mixolydian or Lydian Dominant.
• 14.Same as previous.
• 15. Amin7: II-7 / Dorian | D9: V7 / Mixolydian.
• 16. Dmin9: secondary II-7 of the IVmaj7 / Dorian | Db9: sub V7 of the IVmaj7 | Lydian Dominant (resolves down by 1/2 step to Cmaj7 which begins the B section)

NOTE: Measures 17 through 28 are harmonically the same as measures 1 through 12, therefore won’t be repeated here.

Analysis Measures 29 – 32

• 29. A7: Secondary V7 of the V7 / Mixolydian or Lydian Dominant.
• 30.Amin7: II-7 / Dorian | D9: V7 / Mixolydian.
• 31. Gmaj7: Imaj7 / Ionian
• 32. (Turnaround) Dmin9: secondary II-7 of the IVmaj7 / Dorian | Db9: sub V7 of the IVmaj7 | Lydian Dominant (resolves down by 1/2 step to Cmaj7)

 

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Listening to various arrangements of a given standard is recommended whenever learning a new piece as it will broaden your understanding of the different ways it can be interpreted. Here is a list of some of my favorite renditions of “Just Friends” . Please keep in mind that these are just a few I’ve been able to get my hands on. If you know of other great ones, please be sure to mention them in the comments section.

 

SUGGESTED DISCOGRAPHY

• Pat Martino /  ” El Hombre “
• Barney Kessel / “Just Friends”
• Charlie Parker / “Charlie Parker with Strings”
• Joe Pass / “I Remember Charlie Parker”
• Jimmy Raney / “Live in Tokyo”
• Wes Montgomery / “Straight No Chaser”
• Joe Diorio / “More Than Friends”
• Chick Corea / “The Continents”
• John Coltrane / “Coltrane Time”
• Jerry Bergonzi / “Standard Gonz”

And here you can check out my personal rendition of “Just Friends”:

Your Comments are greatly appreciated! Feel free to post any questions you may have or any insight you would like to share regarding this lesson.

 

MORE CHORD MELODY LESSONS:

How to play “Days of Wine and Roses” with Chord Melody

How to play “There Will Never Be Another You” with Chord Melody

How to play “Out of Nowhere” with Chord Melody