Transcription: Moten Swing

Composer: Eddie Durham - Count Basie
Transcription starts at 0'07"; ends at 1'02"
From the album: Atomic swing
Leader of the session: Count Basie
Recorded: April 26, 1958
Reissued on CD: Roulette Jazz 7243 4 97871 2 4

These thirty-one measures perfectly illustrate the playing style of Freddie Green in the 1950's.

Listen very carefully to hear Freddie occasionally playing a long quarter note on beat one (or three) followed by a shorter quarter note on beat two (or four). This gives the guitar part a subtle lilting feel.

Freddie also executes a trademark one fret glissando on the first beat of measure 30.

Note the three note Ab chord on beat 2 of the first measure. Play this chord on strings 6, 4, and 3. The three note Bbm chord in bar 27 is also played on strings 6, 4, and 3.
The majority of the notes are played on the 4th string. If an upper note is added, play the added note on the 3rd string.

For instructions on how to play "one note" and "two note" Freddie Green chords, see my article written for Down Beat entitled: Distilling Big Band Guitar: The Essence of Freddie Green.

Transcribed by Michael Pettersen, April 2002