I'll Remember April
Published in 1942 and written by Gene de Paul with the lyrics by Patricia Johnston and Don Raye
Published: Sep 30, 2011 Updated: Oct 14, 2016
ANY leadsheet | Subjects: jazz • standard • repertoire
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I'll Remember April was written by Gene de Paul with the lyrics by Patricia Johnston and Don Raye. The song was published in 1942. It was once sung by Judy Garland. The song debuted in the 1942 Abbott and Costello comedy Ride 'Em Cowboy, sung by Dick Foran.
( From www.jazzstandards.com ) - As a jazz standard, I'll Remember April first appeared in a rather unlikely performance. Dick Foran introduced the song in the 1942 Abbott and Costello comedy Ride 'Em Cowboy. The action takes place on a dude ranch where peanut/hotdog vendors Abbott and Costello are pretending to be cowboys. Portraying an author of westerns, Foran croons the song to the ranch owner's daughter, played by Anne Gwynne. As one critic declared, "For a few brief minutes, I'll Remember April was an oasis of sanity in the madness."
This song is on my CD How About More Uke?.
What You Need to Perform (Play) This Song?
In order to play this song you need to know 1) Are your going to sing the song or 2) play it instrumentally? Each has a different set of requirements.
Sing and Accompany Yourself
To accompany yourself and sing this song you need to naturally know the lyrics of the song and the melody of the song. You can either memorize both (recommended) or read it.
You can start with either the melody or chords - doesn't matter which comes first. The melody is a good starting point as you can actually sing any song A Capella, solo and unaccompanied instrumentally and it will be the song. Playing the chords by their self, typically does not convey enough of musical information for others to know what song you are playing. Songs actually use common chords and progressions over and over. One progression can be
Melody
Learning the melody is necessary for sing or playing it instrumentally and actually a good idea when accompanying others.
Learning the melody can be done by learning to read music and finding the sheet music or lead sheet for the song. Or, listening over and over to learn it by ear ( not recommended ), which is a bit error prone and takes a lot longer than read it.
When reading the melody it's a good idea to use the fingering principles from the Six Secrets of Ukulele Fingering for efficient and low maintenance fingering of the melody. This actually allows you to play the melody and someone else accompanies you, just like your singing.
Chords
Chords are the easiest to start with. All you need is at least one chord voicing for each chord in the song and be able to successfully switch chords in the sequence or order that are the song, the underlying progression.
Knowing the chords will allow you to accompany other that are singing.
How About More Uke?
Release Date: December 2, 2015
Here is my new CD: How About More Uke? It is being officially released December 2, 2015. A collection of jazz standards, original compositions by myself (Curt Sheller), Chuck Anderson and Jim Beloff / Herb Otha. Featuring Curt Sheller: `ukulele, Eric Schreiber: bass and Ed Rick: drums.
10 Minute Demo of How About More Uke? CD
I'll Remember April, Solo Ukulele Arrangement - Key of G
Solo ukulele arrangement from the How About Jazz Ukulele CD by Curt Sheller.
I'll Remember April - How About More Uke? CD - Curt Sheller Trio
From the How About More Uke? CD by the Curt Sheller Trio. Recorded at MorningStar Studios in East Norriton, PA Summer and Fall of 2015. Released December 2, 2015
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A Road Map Through Song
Remembering songs is all about the form and harmonic content and movement with taking in the similarities between songs. And, just like a road map they're landmarks that will trigger memories of how to get through various sections, changes or parts of a song.
This section of a song's page presents some tips on how I try and remember a particular song.
I'll Remember April is a jazz standard typically played in the key of G major. Like most jazz standards vs. simple pop, folk, rock, blues and country songs that stay in one key, I'll Remember April starts in G major and then modulates through a few other keys along the way.
Here is how I remember I'll Remember April in the key of G.
- Start on the I major 7 chord Gmaj7 for four bars, then a parallel minor Im7 minor seven chord Gm7 for four bars.
- up a whole step, a major second and an unresolved minor II V for Am7b5 E7
- up a whole step again, a major second and an unresolved minor II V for Bm7b5 F7
- back to a major II V I in the starting key for Am7 D7 Gmaj7
- from the Gmaj7 (I) chord up a perfect fourth to a m7 for a II V I modulation to the key of Bb major for Cm7 F7 Bbmaj7 repeat this II V I again
- down a half step, a minor second to a II V I for Am7 D7 Gmaj7 which is back to the home starting key.
- down a half step, a minor second to a II V I for F#m7 B7 Emaj7
- Then a II V I in the home key of G for Am7 D7 Gmaj7 for the turn to the final section of the song which is the same changes as the beginning A section.
Shorthand for I'll Remember April - Key of G
Over the years I tried to come up with a short hand notation for condensing the longhand version above. Here is what I've come up with so far. See if you can decode it without a legend.
This song can be considered to have an A1 B A2
I'll Remember April starts similar to How High the Moon and On Green Dolphin Street with the move from major the minor on the same root (prime`)
- I `prime Im7
- M2 II V
- M2 II V
- II V I
- P4 II V I (2x
- m2 II V I ( home key )
- m2 II V I
- TB II V I and repeat the A section
Performing a harmonic analysis to determine how chords are functioning harmonically within a song or chord progression allows you to:
- Actually remember a song and compare it to other songs with similar harmonic characteristics.
- Allow transposition to other keys on the fly - getting off the paper and out of the book.
- Communicate with like minded musicians.
- Select scale and chord substitutions for performance and creative exploration.
You'll get to a point in your development as a musician where your repertoire is too vast to actually be able to rehearse all the songs you know on a daily basis. You need tools to help recall songs that you haven't performed in a long time or even never performed.
A Guide to Advanced Chords Series - Chord Building Chart
A handle dandy reference chart for building fifteen (15) basic triads and 4-part chords.
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I'll Remember April, Solo Ukulele Arrangement - Key of G
Solo ukulele arrangement from the How About Jazz Ukulele CD by Curt Sheller.
Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G
Ukulele Fingerboard Chart for C Tuning, Low or High G. Shows natural, sharp and flat notes for the ukulele fingerboard. This tuning can be used on a soprano, concert, tenor and baritone ukuleles.
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Movable 7th Chords for Ukulele Chord Chart - C Tuning
A handy dandy single sheet chart showing the each voicing of the four, seventh chords Big Six seventh chord voicings.
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I'll Remember April - How About More Uke? CD - Curt Sheller Trio
From the How About More Uke? CD by the Curt Sheller Trio. Recorded at MorningStar Studios in East Norriton, PA Summer and Fall of 2015. Released December 2, 2015
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Remembering Songs
Listening to songs and wanting to play the same songs on ukulele - that's what draws most people to the ukulele. That and it looks like a load of fun and easy too play - which it is. Then you need to actually remember the songs that you're learning so you can play them again. And, hopefully not have to read them off a sheet all the time.
Learning the Ukulele Fingerboard - C Tuning
Finally, learn the names of the notes of the fingerboard. Learning the notes of your instrument allows you the flexibility of not having to remember so many shapes. There are simply way too many chords, scale and notes patterns, and shapes to remember. It all comes down the notes.
Common Chord Progressions and Remembering Songs
Learning the similarities between chord progressions and songs helps you remember a lot of songs. There's a lot more in common between songs than one might think.
Jazz Standard Chord Progressions
These are the chord progressions, extracted from my book Exploring Jazz Chords on Ukulele for use with on-line and private students.
Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection
Harmonic Analysis is the process used to determine the harmonic function of chords within a chord progression or song. A chord progression is defined as a sequence of chords, each chord has a root and is a particular chord type. The relationship of a chord's to a scale determines its function within that scale's tonality.
Key Signatures - G Major
The key of G major-E minor.
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Just browsing over both books, they look fantastic! I'm a guitarist and uke player for over 25 years and was thinking about writing a ukulele book but you've already written what I think are the best, most comprehensive and thorough books I've ever seen for the instrument. I just might end up buying every book you've written and I'll be giving my highest recommendation for your books to my friends and students. Thank you so much for taking the time to write such great books! — Peter Rhee
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