After gaining little attention in Los Angeles upon its release, a radio station in Boston was the catalyst to break the song nationwide. The single was released in late 1965 but was not an immediate breakthrough. McGuire's original vocal can be briefly heard on the left channel at the beginning of the record, having not been completely erased. The guitar introduction was performed by P. Adler, impressed with the Mamas and the Papas, then had the lead vocal track re-recorded with Denny Doherty singing and paired with the same instrumental and backing vocal tracks and an alto flute solo by Bud Shank, reportedly improvised. In thanks to Adler, they sang the backing vocals to 'California Dreamin '' with members of the session band The Wrecking Crew on McGuire's album This Precious Time. They earned their first record contract after being introduced to Lou Adler, the head of Dunhill Records, by Barry McGuire. At the time, John and Michelle Phillips were members of the folk group the New Journeymen, which evolved into the Mamas and the Papas. He would work on compositions late at night and one morning brought her the first verse. The list below will help you understand which chord used in this sheet is a drop 2 and which one is a drop 3.The song was written in 1963 while John Phillips and Michelle Phillips were living in New York City during a particularly cold winter, and she was missing sunny California. The easy transcription with TABS and standard notation below takes the most common drop 2 and drop 3 voicings to play Autumn Leaves. However, these kinds of voicings sounds great on the guitar too. Many composers and arrangers have used them, especially for big bands in brass sections. Drop 2 and drop 3 chords are very common in all kinds of jazz arrangements.

The principle of drop voicings is to take a close position chord and move the second highest note (drop 2) or the third highest note (drop 3) one octave lower to create an open chord. This technique applies to any jazz standard as it is the case in the Autumn leaves sheet below. They are very useful when working on orchestrations or arrangements. So let's quickly recap what are d rop voicings. These chords can be used to create beautiful and rich harmonies. The best way to understand and hear the harmony of Autumn leaves is to play basic chords using drop 2 and drop 3 voicings. How to Play Autumn Leaves - Drop 2 and Drop 3 Voicings

Autumn leaves chords pdf