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Simple Footprints Etude No. 2 by Behn Gillece

Building on the previous etude, this new version expands the lines and incorporates additional chord adjustments to deepen the harmonic exploration in 3/4. By introducing extra melodic lines and refining the chord changes, this etude offers a richer harmonic texture while staying within a straightforward 3/4 groove. It challenges the player to navigate slightly more complex progressions, encouraging a deeper understanding of how to shape melodic ideas within the time signature.

What Is This Etude Called Love

This is of course based on What Is This Thing Called Love. Although back in my very immature days we put a comma after called. 

It's 3 choruses of the tune. First chorus is mostly comping. The second I solo and mostly play the chords separate from the melody and third is just lines. Notice that by the time you get to the 3rd chorus you really don't need chords. That's if you play it well, so learn it well! 

 

Simple Footprints Etude No. 1 by Behn Gillece

One of my students has been working on "Footprints" and wanted to explore playing in 3/4 time. To help, I put together a simple etude focused on adapting familiar patterns to fit 3/4. What I like about this approach is that it lets you apply a straightforward line throughout the tune, and it flows well in 3/4. There are a few places where I adjusted the line slightly to better match the chords. Also, keep in mind that these changes are a bit simpler than the original ones, but they’re still widely used by many players—dating back to an old real book version!