The song “Take the A Train” is considered a classic in the jazz repertoire and it’s a must-know tune for any jazz musician.

It’s an upbeat tune that is great for practicing your timing and rhythm, and it’s also a great tune to practice walking basslines.

The song was written by Billy Strayhorn in 1939, and it became the signature tune of the Duke Ellington Orchestra.

“Take the ‘A’ Train” is a great tune to practice improvisation, it has a simple chord progression that can help you to work on your soloing skills. The melody is also easy to remember, which makes it a great tune to practice your interpretation and phrasing. It’s also a tune that many people know, so it’s a great choice for gigs or jam sessions.

In this lesson, we will be breaking down the melody, harmony, and form of the song, as well as discussing how to play it in different keys, how to play the melody and how to improvise over the chord progression.

In the beautiful, dare I say perfect, solo of Ella Fitzgerald, we learn how she improvises perfect 4-bar phrases, targets specific notes, how she uses scales, voice leading and motif developments.

In the PDF (concert, B-flat and E-flat) you will find the transcription, an exercise based on a motif from the solo and 3 phrases to transpose.

By the end of this lesson, you will have a solid understanding of this classic jazz standard and be able to play it with confidence.