Autumn Leaves in G minor with French

Autumn: leaves are falling and turning colour. The summer has ended, and soon my stay in London will, too.

My research into the paradox of simplicity that commands the sound of 3,000 voices and instruments (Irish Hooley, Dun Laoghaire, August 2017) led me to conclude that it’s all about following the age-old wisdom of Keep It Simple and Small is Beautiful. Take the jazz version of “Autumn Leaves” for example.

Click on the song sheet below to get the one page PDF version. Note: This song sheet has been updated with F7 chord instead over 2 pages (10/11/2021).

Dr Uke’s transcription for the ukulele has nearly 20 different chords, showing the richness of the original jazz version. But do you really need to switch and play all those chords to be able to accompany yourself?

San Jose Ukulele Club has 17 chords in their two-page song sheet.

Bytown Ukulele’s version has a more manageable size of 10 chords. As it’s a little too high for my voice range, I decided to transpose it down a whole step and check with a lead sheet in G minor.

I played through my version in G minor with nine chords and listened to see if each chord was necessary. After a few tries, I reduced it down to five chords. Click on above image to get the one-page PDF song sheet. For tempo, watch this Facebook live video.

Using the free ukulele song sheet builder at ukegeeks.com, a tip from a fellow ukulele player in Boston, I created my first song sheet from the Web. [Previously I used Sibelius, an expensive notation software that’s way over the top for creating song sheets but useful for notation and tablature.]

This is one of those songs that works well for the ukulele. Don’t let the tempo drag. I’d give it a reggae ukulele feel, to make it easy and welcoming for members of the audience to sing along. In other words, I’d double the tempo.

Elsewhere, Ukulele Mike has a version in D minor with seven chords, using the swing shuffle.

The text is simple enough to memorise. I would include the original French lyrics the way Edith Piaf did. The background to this song is fascinating as is the chord progression and bass line.

C’est une chanson, qui nous ressemble,
Toi qui m’aimais, moi qui t’aimais.
Nous vivions, tous les deux ensemble,
Toi qui m’aimais, moi qui t’aimais.

Et la vie sépare ceux qui s’aiment,
Tout doucement, sans faire de bruit.
Et la mer efface sur le sable,
Les pas des amants désunis.

I grew up knowing only Nat King Cole’s version of “Autumn Leaves” for that’s the one my dad listened and sang to. It’s jazzy, slow and romantic.

Then I discovered Eva Cassidy, who gave it a completely different feel.