Lullaby of Birdland

By George Shearing and lyrics by George David Weiss under the pseudonym "B. Y. Forster"

Published: 16 Jul 2018 Updated: 07 Dec 2018Visits: 20Code: UL559

Category: JazzInstrument: Any Subjects: Jazz • Repertoire • Arrangement • Standard

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Lullaby of Birdland

Lullaby of Birdland is a 1952 popular song with music by George Shearing and lyrics by George David Weiss under the pseudonym "B. Y. Forster" in order to circumvent the rule that ASCAP and BMI composers could not collaborate. The song has become a jazz standard.

Lullaby of Birdland is in thirty-two bar form, and its original key was F minor (or A♭ major). The song spends an equal amount of time in both minor and major modes F Minor & Ab Major . It follows a I VI II7 V7 harmonic progression, and it has a I VIø7 IIø7 V7 minor variation.

Shearing stated in his autobiography that he had composed the whole thing [...] within ten minutes. The chord changes were partly from Walter Donaldson's Love Me Or Leave Me.

Lullaby of Birdland is in the Real Book - Volume 1 Sixth Edition book.

A Few Great Versions TO Check OUt

Main Song Download(s)

The main downloads for this Song.

WEB_CONTENT_ONLY

Lullabye of Birdland - Melody and Chord Ukulele Arrangement

Updated: 05 Sep 2019

A solo, melody and chord arrangement for a Low G, C Tuned ukulele. Lullaby of Birdland is a jazz standard and popular song composed by George Shearing with lyrics by George David Weiss (under the pseudonym "B. Y. Forster").

Related Lessons

Related Lessons for Lullaby of Birdland.

UL125c

Classic Endings for `Ukulele

Updated: 08 Nov 2022

Two Feel, bVImaj7 bIImaj7, Basie Ending, Single, Double and Triple Tags, Chromatic, Take 'A' Train Ending, Shave and a Hair Cut, Lawrence Welk Ending. These are common classic songs ending that are used over and over in the standard song repertoire.

UL125b

Creating Introductions and Turnarounds for `Ukulele

Updated: 20 Mar 2020

Introductions are a composed or improvised pieces of music that introduce - sets the stage for - a song or composition. Introductions, or intro for short, are used in all types of music. In this lesson, the focus is on introductions in contemporary pop, rock, blues, country, folk and jazz styles.

UL125a

Melody and Chord Tips

Updated: 01 Mar 2019

Creating "Melody and Chord Arrangements", in theory are as simple as harmonizing the melody with a chord. Which is playing a chord that has the melody note as the top note of the chord voicing. In practice it is a little more involved, but not much more.

Related Lesson Series

Related Lessons Series for Lullaby of Birdland.

Solo Ukulele - Creating Melody and Chord Arrangements

Updated: 01 Jan 2003

In this series the focus is on creating solos melody and chord arrangements of songs from the standard and contemporary repertoire.

Related Books & Charts

Related Books for Lullaby of Birdland.

AGCUKE1

A Guide to Advanced Ukulele Chords - Volume I

Updated: 13 Feb 2020

Beyond learning basic Ukulele chords, most players struggle with advanced chords. Commonly called "jazz" chords, these more sophisticated voicings find a wide use in all forms of music. A Guide to Advanced Chords for Ukulele - presents a highly organized and efficient approach to the mysterious subject of advanced chords. Chord dictionaries are not the answer.

AGCUKE1STD

Exploring Jazz Chords on Ukulele

Updated: 10 Jan 2020

Exploring jazz chords using a variety of common chord progressions based on songs from the standard jazz repertoire. Core Chords are the basic set of chords needed to play a wide range of music, in a variety of styles. This set of chords includes basic open position chords, basic movable form chords and the core 4-part "jazz" chords.

RMA1

Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution

Updated: 08 Jun 2024

Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition. This analysis is then used to make scale selections for improvisation and chord substitution.

HL00240221

The Real Book – Volume I – Sixth Edition

Updated: 05 May 2022

The Real Books are the best-selling jazz books of all time. Since the 1970s, musicians have trusted these volumes to get them through every gig, night after night. The problem is that the books were illegally produced and distributed, without any regard to copyright law, or royalties paid to the composers who created these musical masterpieces.

A Selection of Books & Reference Charts that are recommended for creating a solid foundation with your chosen instrument and music in general.

Books

Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard – C Tuning

Finally, learn the names of the notes of the fingerboard.

Six Secrets of Ukulele Fingering

Learn the six fingering principles to navigating the ukulele fingerboard. Fingering is one of the most universal topics.

Harmonic Analysis for Scale Selection and Chord Substitution

Harmonic Analysis is the understanding of the functional sequence of chords. It is the process used to analyze the harmonic structure of a progression, song or composition.

Ukulele – Reading Music Series – Primer

Learn to read single note melodies in the first/open position is a lot easier than you might think.

Daily Practice Material for the Contemporary Ukulele

An organized collection of daily practice and reference material for the contemporary ukulele player for developing the vocabulary and knowledge necessary for single note playing.

Checkout the Books for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.

Reference Charts

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G - G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G – G C E A

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for G Tuning, Low or High A – D G B E

Key Signatures — Circle of Fourths and Fifths – ANSI A & A4 sizes

A handy reference chart of all 15 major and relative minor key signatures. US Letter 8.5 x 11 sized (ANSI-A) , A4

Checkout the Books for additional Handy, Dandy Reference Charts.

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