Makin' Whoopee: Interm./Easy Guitar TAB

This folio captures the genuine swagger of early jazz without requiring complicated fingerings or obscure chord voicings. The strum-and-sing approach with period-appropriate intros, endings, and turnarounds teaches authentic jazz guitar style at a level intermediate and easy players can actually execute. You get twelve standards that sound sophisticated because they are, not because they're technically out of reach.

Stepping into a speakeasy full of good humor and romance. The melodies are instantly memorable, the rhythms snap with a relaxed confidence, and the overall mood balances elegance with playfulness. These twelve songs feel like they belong together, a snapshot of American popular music at its most charming.

Guitar students at the intermediate and easy levels who want to play authentic jazz standards without years of theory or advanced technique. This is ideal for singers who play guitar and want a repertoire that works for both instruments, and for guitarists exploring jazz style and voicing for the first time.

• Treat the rhythm section parts (strumming patterns) as essential to the groove rather than accompaniment. The swing feel depends on your phrasing, not just note accuracy.
• Study the classic intros and turnarounds included in the book separately before integrating them into full arrangements. These figures are what distinguish jazz guitar from folk or pop playing.
• Listen to early jazz guitar recordings of these songs (Django Reinhardt, Eddie Lang) to absorb the articulation and timing that written TAB alone cannot capture.
• Keep the tempo relaxed and conversational, especially on ballads. Jazz-age tempos often feel slower than modern recordings suggest.

Program individual songs as solo recital pieces or as part of a vintage jazz-themed concert. The collection works beautifully in a casual performance setting (coffeehouse, informal community event) or as the anchor repertoire for a unit on American songwriting and jazz history. These titles are recognizable enough to audiences that even modest performances feel substantial.

• Swing rhythms and jazz phrasing on guitar
• Simple jazz chord voicings and progressions characteristic of the 1920s-1930s
• Reading TAB notation for specific chord shapes and intros/turnarounds
• Authentic jazz accompaniment patterns and strumming techniques
• Listening and intonation in the context of jazz melody and harmony