How to Play the Real Book: Level 2 Arrangement of “Some Day My Prince Will Come”You can check level 1 (Beginner’s level) in this post Interpreting Lead Sheets: How to Bring the Music to Life. Someday My Prince Will Come – Beginner’s Level

If you’re interested in learning how to play “Some Day My Prince Will Come,” you’re in the right place! In this tutorial, we will be discussing the level two arrangement of this classic tune from the Real Book. We will also be going over some basic music theory concepts, such as chord voicings and rhythmic grids.

Before we dive into the level two arrangement, take a moment to listen to all four levels of the song back to back. This will give you an idea of how the arrangement progresses from level one to level four.

Now, let’s dive into the level two arrangement. This arrangement builds on the concepts introduced in level one, such as playing chords and the melody pretty much as is, using closed voicings on the left hand, and considering seven chords as our default setting. However, there are some new concepts introduced, such as an increase in the grid complexity and the implementation of rootless voicings.

One of the biggest departures from level one is the increase in rhythmic grid complexity. This is achieved by breaking the chords on the left hand, which fills in the gaps where the melody was not playing on two, and gives us a more continuous pulse. This also gives us a more clearly defined baseline.

In measures 4, 5, and 6, we implement rootless voicings. In measure 4, we omit the root on the left-hand voicing, but it’s still going to land to the ear as if it were there because it’s present in the melody. In measures 5 and 6, we use a more literal interpretation of what a rootless voicing is, by replacing the root with the 9th and completely getting rid of the root in a G7#5 chord.

In the next eight-measure phrase, we omit the left hand on the downbeat of each measure and let the right hand take control over illustrating where the beat is. This makes the rhythmic grid more defined, and there’s more than one way to achieve that. In measures 16 through 18, we introduce the right hand as an idea to fill in the spaces of our rhythmic grid.

We hope this tutorial helps you learn how to play the level two arrangement of “Some Day My Prince Will Come.” To access the arrangements visit mdecks.com