Don't Get Around Much Anymore - Music Lesson

This tune is Don't Get Around Much Anymore, the Duke Ellington standard. My grandad's big band used to play this song, and it's been in my set forever now. I've been so lucky over the past few years to have played with some incredible people.

Most recently, off the back of my Sky TV show, Anton Du Beke, Strictly Come Dancing judge, joined me on stage and sang this song with me. So, it's been a very special song to me. Like I say, my grandad's band used to play it, and now it's in my set. I sang it at Ronnie Scott's with some incredible people.

Introduction to the Tune

Anyway, I can't wait to teach you this tune. It's called Don't Get Around Much Anymore. It's got so many places you can go with it. One of my favorite things about it is the chromatic line in the middle, which replicates the horn section of a big band. It can be as simple or as complicated as you want it to be.

A Section - Vocal Line

Let's get stuck into it. We're going to start right at the top with the A section, the vocal line.

Lyrics Breakdown

• The line is: Missed the Saturday Dance

Notes for the Line

• The notes are as follows:
  • E, D, C (5, 4, 3 in terms of fingers)
  • Followed by: E, D, C, G, F, E

Finger Pattern

1. Get that into your fingers: Five, four, three.
2. Then: Three, two, one.

So it sounds like:
Ba ba doo da da da

• Then it does it again with the second line:
  Missed the Saturday Dance.
  Heard they crowded the floor
  (Exactly the same line, repeat twice)

Next Lines

• The next line: Couldn't bear it without you

  • Notes: G, F, E, D, C (all the way down)

• Singing along helps with the melody:
  Couldn't bear it without you
  ba ba da ba da

Jumping Octaves

Then we're going to jump up an octave.

• From our thumb on C to our little finger on C:
  • Notes: G, F, E, D, C, C, A
  • With the last line.

Entire A Section Rhythm

From the top (1, 2):

• E, D, C, G, F, E
• The line (if you like singing along in your head):
  Missed the Saturday Dance
  Heard they crowded the floor
  Couldn't bear it without you

Chromatic Section

Now it gets nice with a few jazzy chromatics:

• E, F, F sharp, G, C, E flat, E, C

Repetition:
Don't get around much anymore

• Again: E, F, F sharp, G, C, E flat, E, C

Finger Placement for Chromatics

• Third finger on E
• Fourth finger on F
• Fourth finger up to F sharp
• Little finger on G
• Thumb on C
• Third finger on E flat
• Third finger down to E
• Thumb on C

Tempo

At tempo, that's:
Don't get around much anymore

Complete A Section

So, the whole A section:
Missed the Saturday dance.
Missed the Saturday dance.

• Again (1, 2, 3, 4):
  One miss.

And that's the A section, the right hand complete.