A Beautiful Friendship, Melodic Analysis

Dr. Bob Lawrence
Nov 12
4 min read

Discover . Learn . Play

The Heart and Soul of the Tune

A Beautiful Friendship, Melodic Analysis

Welcome to week two of our monthly jazz journey! I’m Dr. Bob Lawrence, and this week on Jazz Piano Skills, we continue our exploration of the timeless standard “A Beautiful Friendship” with a melodic analysis.

If you’ve been following along, you know our process — every month, we study one tune from three critical perspectives:

Harmonic Analysis
Melodic Analysis
Improvisational Application

Last week, we dug deep into the harmony — traditional changes, functional movement, voicings, and shapes. This week, we move to melody — the heart and soul of the tune — before tackling improvisation next week.

Why Melody Matters

Every jazz musician, pianist or otherwise, must develop both a conceptual and physical understanding of melody. This means not just being able to play the notes but truly hearing, feeling, and expressing them.

And to do that effectively, you must first understand what I call the Seven Facts of Music — your conceptual compass for everything you play.

The Seven Facts of Music

Music is the production of sound and silence.
Sound is produced harmonically and melodically.
When produced harmonically, we play chords or voicings.
When produced melodically, we play arpeggios and scales.
Arpeggios and scales move in one of two directions — up or down.
We decorate these with tension — chromaticism.
And finally, we express everything rhythmically.

When you begin to see and hear music through this lens — harmonic and melodic shapes moving up and down the piano, colored with chromaticism, and brought to life through rhythm — the art of playing jazz piano becomes far less mysterious.

🎯 The Power of Practice Objectives

This week’s question of the week came from Christopher in Santa Fe, who asked:

“How much should I practice each day?”

My answer: Stop thinking about time and start thinking about objectives.

Every practice session should be objective-driven, not time-driven. Instead of sitting down for an hour and hoping something sticks, decide on one skill, one objective, one approach, and one piece of content to work on.

The Four-Step Practice Blueprint

Skill – What are you working on? (e.g., major scales, voicings, arpeggios)
Objective – Why are you working on it? (e.g., ear training, finger independence)
Approach – How will you practice it? (e.g., root to 7th motion, block chords)
Content – What material will you use? (e.g., four specific keys or progressions)

Forget practicing in all 12 keys every day — that’s not sustainable. Focus instead on quality over quantity, one clear goal at a time. Mastery comes from depth, not from doing “more.”

Learning “A Beautiful Friendship” Melodically

Now, let’s dive into the melody of A Beautiful Friendship.

Start by listening. Explore various versions — vocal, instrumental, professional, and amateur. (Our Jazz Piano Skills community posts a new listening list each week — don’t miss it!)
Transcribe the melody by ear. Use the fill-in-the-blank lead sheet (Lead Sheet 1 in your Podcast Packet) as a guide. The standard key is C Major, so that most melody notes will come from the C major scale.
Check your work. Compare your transcription with the answer key lead sheet. The goal isn’t perfection — it’s ear development.
Fingerings and phrasing. Use the suggested fingerings (Lead Sheet 3) to develop smooth hand movement. Identify and practice melodic phrases (Lead Sheet 4), and note the target notes (Lead Sheet 5) — the key “landing” tones that give each phrase shape and direction.
Apply voicings. Play the melody with your block voicings (Lead Sheet 6) and shell voicings (Lead Sheet 7). Don’t rush — play rubato, without tempo. Listen to the harmony and melody blend. You’ll begin to hear the 9ths, 11ths, and 13ths that make this tune shimmer.

🎧 Seeing Harmony Come Alive

When you slow down and truly listen, you’ll discover the subtle beauty in this tune:

The E against the B♭7(♯11) chord.
The A over the Gm7, giving you the 9th.
The G over the F Major, giving you the 9th again.
The A over the E minor, creating that haunting 11th color.
The A over the C7, creating the gorgeous 13th sound.

This is where the real learning happens — when you connect the sound to the theory and the feel to the fingerboard.

🏁 Wrapping It Up

So this week, your mission is clear:

Listen to “A Beautiful Friendship.”
Transcribe the melody by ear.
Study the phrases and target notes.
Play it through with both block and shell voicings — slowly and thoughtfully.

Whether you’re a beginner, intermediate player, or seasoned pro, this melodic analysis will deepen your understanding and strengthen your musicianship.

And as always — it’s time to get busy. It’s time to discover, learn, and play jazz piano.

Visit JazzPianoSkills.com to join, and subscribe on YouTube at youtube.com/@JazzPianoSkills .

🎧 Listen Now: [Jazz Piano Skills Podcast: "A Beautiful Friendship, Melodic Analysis” – Episode] 📝 Become a Member: JazzPianoSkills.com 📺 Subscribe on YouTube: Jazz Piano Skills