Stella by Starlight Guitar Chord Melody, Chord by Chord

To play a Stella by Starlight chord melody on guitar, think of the tune as a chain of ii-V progressions in B flat, keep the melody on top of every voicing, and build each chord from shell voicings you know. Then add one note, a 9, a 13 or a flat 5, to catch the melody.

Stella by Starlight is one of my favorite songs. It’s a beautiful, beautiful standard that holds a great deal of harmonic and melodic information. In the video I play the whole chord melody, then break it down step by step: why I’m playing this chord, why I’m playing this reharmonization, and how I’m thinking through the process.

How do you think about Stella by Starlight’s chords?

In progressions, not single chords. When I’m thinking about this song, I’m thinking ii-V to the iii (which doesn’t actually go there), then ii-V to the I, then ii-V to the IV. Thinking in progressions makes it a little easier.

The other half of it is the melody. The whole time, I’m really making sure I hear the melody super strong and understand its relationship to B flat and to each chord. If the ii-V-I still feels new, start there, because Stella is full of them.

The first four chords: harsh colors on purpose

I open with some harsh sounds, because I kind of like them.

1. E half diminished, with an upper structure. I know the original is D sharp diminished, but it’s okay. If I want the 9 of E half diminished, I can play G minor-major on top to get that minor-major sound with the 9. It’s a very harsh sound, but I kind of like it.
2. A7 with the flat 9 in the bass. Basically A major with the flat 9 on the bottom. This is a really awesome chord, and it’s coming to me from Bill Evans, who does all these different voicings. It’s harsh because of the flat 9.
3. C minor 7 sus. The sus is the melody. I’d normally play C minor, but I need that melody note on top.
4. F7 augmented. The melody stays on F, so I play F7 augmented and double the F on top.

Shell voicings plus one melody note

A lot of this chord melody is shell voicings with a note added on top for the melody. The power of shell voicings is that if you know them and you’re comfortable with them, you can always add a note here and there to describe a melody or a line that you’re hearing.

• F minor 7 with the 9. An F minor 7 shell with the 9 added on top. Before it, I like a half step approach in the melody, because it makes that G more of a resolution point.
• B flat 7 13. Keep the melody on top and you get the 13.
• E flat major 7 over B flat. Just because it sounds kind of cool. I like that suspended sound. It comes from closed major 7 voicings, dropping one note to get a drop 2. You can also go further to a drop 3.
• A flat 7 flat 5. Literally A flat 7 with the melody on top. The melody is D, and not by chance, that’s the flat 5.

If you know your inversions, you can find a note like that flat 5: see the A flat 7 in first inversion, take the 5, and flatten it. It all comes down to really knowing the framework. Start from something like C7, see all the options to play it, and don’t only see them: hear them, sing them, and understand that this is the 5 and this is the flat 5. Jazz Chord Essentials rebuilds that framework from the ground up, with the four main 7th chord colors and every inversion on the 4th, 5th and 6th string sets.

How do you use contrast in a chord melody?

Follow a harsh sound with a sweet one. We always hear a chord in relationship to what happened before it.

Right after that A flat 7 flat 5, the melody comes back to B flat major 7, the I chord, starting from the 4. So I just play thirds, literally thirds in the key of B flat, with the melody as the top line. Knowing the center and the framework helps here: this is the I chord, and the scale is B flat. Nothing crazy, and it sounds really nice against the A flat 7.

The same idea comes back a few bars later. After a ii-V, B flat minor 7 with the 9 to an E flat 7 shell with the 9 on top, with a little melodic thing, the next part starts on F major 7. I just play the bass first, because I’m hearing that landing point, then hold an F chord with a sus, which is a really nice color, especially after the contrast of the extended tensions before it.

You can do whatever you want. It’s all about sound. There’s no wrong answers, almost.

Rotem Sivan

The second half: moving shapes and the final chord

Some chords in the second half are there for sound, not for theory. Sometimes chords are just passing chords, and you can take a shape and move it around.

1. G7 flat 13. From a simple G7 shape, move one note an octave to get a drop 3 voicing. I don’t want the D, I want E flat for the melody, so it becomes G7 flat 13, or G7 augmented.
2. C minor, two ways. The simple voicing, or one I love: C minor with the 4 and the 9, which is a little more stretchy. I use both interchangeably, so choose whatever you want.
3. Moving fourths. A shape built in fourths, moved down on purpose. It doesn’t really make sense. Sometimes chords are just passing chords, and I just want that sound.
4. Moving diminished. The same trick with a diminished shape. It’s a little wrong, and I’m not crazy about it, but it proves you can move these things around.
5. D flat major 7. Going into the last section. It doesn’t make a lot of sense, since if anything D flat 7 would be the right chord, but I heard it, thought it would be cool, and I like that change.
6. F7 13 flat 9. A really tense chord. You really hear a D triad over that F7, so it’s harsh. I took it from Wes: it’s a voicing I transcribed a while ago and put here.
7. B flat major 7 6/9. The last chord. Then I tap some notes in the key. You can tap different things, and as long as they’re in the key, it’ll sound good.

For a gentler tune to try this same approach on first, the Summertime chord melody lesson starts with shells in the gaps and then grabs the melody inside the chord. And if you want more color tones to reach for, see jazz guitar chord extensions.

A practice idea for today

Take the first eight bars and play only shell voicings, thinking of each ii-V as you go. Then pick two chords, like F minor 7 and B flat 7, and add the melody note on top of each shell, so you get F minor 7 with the 9 and B flat 7 13. Sing the melody note before you play it, so you know which chord tone it is.

Frequently asked questions

What key is Stella by Starlight in?

B flat major. The last chord in this arrangement is B flat major 7 6/9, and I think of the tune as a series of ii-V progressions pointing to the iii, the I and the IV.

What chord does this Stella by Starlight arrangement start on?

E half diminished, going to A7. I know the original is D sharp diminished, but I play E half diminished and color it with G minor-major on top to get the 9. The A7 has the flat 9 in the bass, a sound that comes to me from Bill Evans.

How do you fit the melody into jazz chords on guitar?

Start from a shell voicing you know and add the melody note on top. If the melody is the 13 or the flat 5, that note simply becomes part of the chord, like B flat 7 13 or A flat 7 flat 5.

Do I have to play the exact chords on the chart?

No. Some chords here are passing chords or reharmonizations I chose for sound, like D flat major 7 where D flat 7 would be expected. It’s all about sound, but keep hearing the melody strongly against every chord.

Learn the first four chords, then keep going bar by bar, listening to how each sound contrasts with the one before it.