Arranging Chord Melody for Summertime

"Summertime" from Gershwin's Porgy and Bess (1935) is one of the most recorded songs in history and a perennial chord melody subject. The melody is simple and largely pentatonic, moving slowly — perfect for expressive chord placement. The minor key and languid tempo invite elaborate reharmonisation and voicing choices. Miles Davis's instrumental version, Chet Baker's vocal interpretation, and Janis Joplin's rock version all demonstrate the tune's extraordinary range. Arranging it for chord melody is an exercise in making rich harmony serve a simple melody.

Form and Key

"Summertime" is commonly played in A minor (or D minor, E minor on guitar).
Original key: A minor. Form: 16-bar ABAB variant.

Typical chord changes (A minor):
| Am   | Am   | E7   | Am  |
| Am   | Am   | E7   | Am  |
| C    | G7   | Cmaj7| F   |
| Dm7  | E7   | Am   | E7  |

The E7 chord uses G# — the raised 7th of A harmonic minor.
This E7 → Am is the most important cadence in the tune.

The Melody

The opening melody notes of "Summertime" — E, C, A, with embellishments — are the 5th, ♭3, and root of Am. These are maximally easy to voice: all are strong chord tones of Am7 or Am. The melody's pentatonic simplicity is an invitation to make the harmony richer underneath, since simple pentatonic melody notes fit over almost any sensible chord voicing as chord tones or extensions.

Opening phrase melody: E  (down) C  (down) A
Scale degree over Am:  5th       ♭3        root

All three are Am chord tones — safe and resonant over any Am voicing.
This gives you freedom to choose interesting chord colours underneath.

Voicing the E7 Chord

The E7 → Am resolution is the pivotal moment. The G# (major 3rd of E7, leading tone of A minor) creates the strongest possible approach to the tonic A. Add a ♭9 (F natural — borrowed from A harmonic minor) for extra drama:

Voicing	Notes	Character
E7 shell	E G# D	Root, M3, ♭7 — sparse, clean
E7♭9	E G# D F	Adds ♭9 = F — harmonic minor flavour, dark
E7♭9 rootless	G# D F B	M3, ♭7, ♭9, 5th — dense, very dramatic
Bdim7 (sub for E7♭9)	B D F G#	Diminished 7th = E7♭9 without root — resolves identically

E7♭9 → Am7 voice leading:
  G# → A    (leading tone resolves up by half step to tonic ✓)
  D  → C    (♭7 of E7 resolves down to ♭3 of Am7 ✓)
  F  → E    (♭9 of E7 resolves down to 5th of Am7 ✓)
  Bass: E → A  (V → i ✓)

Every voice resolves by half step or whole step — maximum smoothness.

Reharmonisation Opportunities

The slow tempo and simple melody make "Summertime" one of the best tunes for reharmonisation study:

Bars 1–2 (Am Am):
  Standard:     Am    | Am
  Reharmonised: Am    | C9      (tonic to relative major — brightens bar 2)
  Or:           AmM7  | Am7     (minor-major 7th melting to plain minor 7th)
  Or:           Am    | Fmaj7   (♭VI — dark, bittersweet)

Bar 3 (E7):
  Standard:     E7
  Tritone sub:  B♭7   (B♭→A bass motion — half step, smoother than E→A fifth)
  Or:           E7♭9♭13 (add ♭13=C to the voicing for maximum tension)

Bar 11 (Cmaj7):
  Could become: Cmaj7 | Fmaj7 | (expand to ii-V-I approaching Dm7 in bar 13)

Bars 13–14 (Dm7 E7):
  Could become: Dm7 | D♭7 | Am (tritone sub E7 → D♭7, half-step bass descent)

Guitar Key Options

Key	Open strings available	Notes
A minor (concert pitch)	A, E strings (low and high)	Natural key; open A string for bass roots
D minor	D, A strings	Some players find D minor voicings more comfortable
E minor	E, B, G, D, A, E — all strings	Most resonant on guitar; often used with capo or by transposing

Tempo and Feel

Most chord melody arrangements of "Summertime" use a slow ballad tempo — this gives time for voicings to ring, for bass notes to walk between chord changes, and for the arrangement to breathe. The tune's character is languid and introspective. At ballad tempo, you can:

Let the melody note sound before placing the chord beneath it
Walk the bass by quarter notes between chord changes
Add inner voice movement (chromatic passing tones) during held melody notes
Place reharmonised chords on the second or third beat for surprise effect

References

Miles Davis — Porgy and Bess (1959) — instrumental jazz version
Chet Baker — various recordings — vocal interpretation
Pass — Virtuoso No. 2 — contains his solo guitar version
jazzstandards.com — Summertime ↗