Embraceable You — Melodic Analysis
- Dr. Bob Lawrence
- Feb 13
- 4 min read
Updated: Feb 13
Learn the Melody • Shape the Phrases • Identify Target Notes • Apply Jazz Treatments
Embraceable You Melodic Analysis
Welcome to week two of our monthly tune study at Jazz Piano Skills — and that means one thing: Melodic Analysis Week.
Last week we kicked things off with a complete harmonic analysis of George Gershwin’s classic Embraceable You — form, changes, harmonic function, common movement, and of course… voicings (block chords, shells, contemporary shapes, and two-handed structures).
This week, we turn our attention to the melody — because if you can’t sing the tune on the piano, everything else becomes guesswork.
Today’s mission is simple:
✅ Discover the melody
✅ Learn it by ear (to the best of your ability)
✅ Play it with great fingering, phrasing, and authentic jazz articulation
The Big Idea: Music Has To Become Conceptually Easy
Before we dig into the melody, I want to reinforce something I say constantly:
Music conceptually easy = musical success physically.Music complicated conceptually = musical struggle (and usually failure).
That’s why I repeat the Seven Facts of Music every week. They strip music down to what it truly is:
Music is the production of Sound and Silence
Sound is produced Harmonically and Melodically
Harmonic sound = Chords / Voicings
Melodic sound = Scales and Arpeggios
Scales/arpeggios move Up or Down
We decorate with Tension / Chromaticism
Rhythm makes facts 1–6 interesting
When this clicks, everything changes:
practice stops being random
improvisation stops being scary
phrasing becomes natural
confidence replaces hope
And that brings us right into today’s melodic work.
Question of the Week
“Should jazz melodies be played legato or staccato?” — Liam (Dublin, Ireland)
Liam’s instinct was right:
Jazz melodies should be played primarily legato.
Jazz is a connected, vocal-style language — even on piano. If your melody sounds detached, choppy, or percussive, it won’t sound like jazz… even if every note is correct.
Here’s the nuance:
Jazz is mostly legato
but not completely legato
it’s legato with intentional separation
Think of speech. Words connect into sentences, but we still breathe, shape, and articulate. Jazz phrasing works the same way.
If your playing ever sounds stiff or robotic, it’s almost never a theory issue.
It’s an articulation issue.
Today’s Melodic Analysis Agenda
Here’s exactly what we do in week two of every tune study:
Listen to definitive recordings
Transcribe the melody (ear training!)
Explore recommended fingerings
Identify melodic phrases
Identify target notes within phrases
Apply voicings to the melody (block + shells)
Play the melody with three jazz treatments:
Ballad
Bossa Nova
Swing
Lead Sheets Breakdown (What’s in This Week’s Packet)
You should have seven lead sheets:
Lead Sheet 1: Fill-in-the-blank transcription template
Lead Sheet 2: The “answer key” melodic schematic (not performance rhythm)
Lead Sheet 3: Suggested fingerings
Lead Sheet 4: Phrase mapping (six phrases)
Lead Sheet 5: Target notes inside each phrase
Lead Sheet 6: Melody + left-hand block voicings
Lead Sheet 7: Melody + left-hand shell voicings
How To Transcribe the Melody (Without Getting Stuck) This is important:
This is NOT a music notation assignment. It’s an ear training exercise.
Use any system that helps you succeed:
letter names
lyrics + pitch matching
solfege
your own shorthand
The rhythmic notation does not matter nearly as much as this one question:
If you play what you wrote… does it sound like Embraceable You?
That’s the goal.
Phrase Mapping: Gershwin Makes It Clean
When you map the melody, something beautiful appears:
Six clean phrases — each four measures. That lines up perfectly with the ABAC form.
Phrase awareness matters because…
🎯 Jazz lives in phrases. Not note-to-note survival.
Target Notes: Your Navigational Points
Inside each phrase are “destination tones” — notes that shape the melodic contour and guide your ears.
You’ll notice something powerful:
The melody reinforces the same magnetic pull we hear in the harmony — especially through circle motion.
These target notes do two things:
help you truly learn the melody through an awareness of the phrase contour
prepare you for improvisation (because great solos don’t abandon the tune)
Three Treatments: Ballad • Bossa • Swing
Once the melody + harmony are in place, we put everything in time.
This is where jazz becomes jazz.
This week, we apply three standard treatments:
1) Ballad — ♩ = 70
“Warmth” lives here. Long tones, space, patience, lyricism.
2) Bossa Nova — ♩ = 120
Same melody… totally different feel. You’re forced to phrase differently.
3) Swing — ♩ = 140
The faster the tempo, the less you play! You’re still singing — but simplify the phrases.
And here’s the truth:
Two players can play the same notes…one sounds great, and one doesn’t.
The difference? It’s rhythm + articulation.
Use the Play-Alongs (They’re Gold) I can’t say this enough:
Backing tracks are one of the fastest ways to develop:
time
feel
articulation
confidence
This week’s play-alongs include:
Ballad (70)
Bossa (120)
Swing (140)
Use them daily. Even 10 minutes.
A Week at Jazz Piano Skills
Tuesday: Podcast episode
Wednesday: YouTube Quick Tip
Thursday: Live Masterclass (8 pm Central)
Friday: YouTube Quick Tip
Saturday: Blog Recap
Sunday: Rest
Monday: Video Recap
Final Thought
If you want your jazz playing to sound authentic, don’t just learn the harmony.
Learn the melody like a singer.
Shape it like a horn player.
Phrase it like language.
That’s exactly what we’re doing this week.
Until next time — enjoy Embraceable You (Melodic Analysis)…and most of all, have fun as you Discover • Learn • Play jazz piano. 🎧 Listen Now: [Jazz Piano Skills Podcast: Embraceable You – Episode Become a Member: Jazz Piano Skills
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Warm Regards, Dr. Bob Lawrence
Jazz Piano Skills
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