Watermelon Man – Guitar Chords, Chord Melody, and Solo

When learning jazz guitar, the blues is an essential topic of study for any guitarist to tackle. But, how do you move beyond the standard 12-bar form? One of the tunes that gets called at jam sessions and is blues related, but not 12-bar, is Watermelon Man.

Because this song is a jam session standard, it’s a must-know tune for any jazz guitarist to have in their repertoire.

To help you learn this 16-bar blues, this lesson shows you the chords, chord melody, and a single-note solo that you can learn in the practice room.

Have fun with these studies, memorize them, and extract the chords, licks, and concepts to use in your own playing.

Watermelon Man Chords

To begin, here’s the piano riff and a chords to learn over Watermelon Man.

These chords and riff are based on the recording, adapted to fit the fretboard.

Make sure to work this riff until it’s fully comfortable, as it’s the foundation for the chord melody you learn in the next section.

 

Backing Track

Listen & Play

 

Watermelon Man Chord Melody

You now mix the chords you just learned with the melody to Watermelon Man to explore a chord melody.

Because the chord riff is so unique, you play the melody and then the riff and move back and forth until the C7-Bb7 section, where you harmonize the melody.

If you are still struggling with the chords, make sure to review them before tackling the chord melody.

As well, you can learn the single-note melody on it’s own first, then come back and work this chord melody when you’re ready.

 

Backing Track

Listen & Play

 

Watermelon Man Solo

The last study is a single-note solo based on licks from Wes Montgomery’s catalogue.

The main concepts are labeled in the solo, and they are:

 

• Minor Blues Scale
• Major Blues Scale
• Bebop Scale
• Diatonic 3rds
• 7b13 Scale (5^th Mode Melodic Minor)

 

Besides these concepts, notice how the first four bars ends on a chord tone, the 3^rd, that’s not in the minor blues scale.

Then, the second phrase ends on a chord tone that’s not in the major blues scale, the b7.

This is an important soloing approach when using blues scales in your lines, and it’s something to take out of this solo and add to your own lines.

 

Backing Track

Listen & Play

 

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