A cheerful melody hides an abrupt change of key. Repeated ii–V motion becomes a useful landmark: listen for where the same pattern starts pointing to a different tonic.
If you study one thing
Recognise the new tonic before changing scale patterns.
Chart keyF major; A-major contrast in the inherited chart
Form32 printed bars with contrasting tonal areas
FeelSwing
Meter4/4
MusicVincent Youmans
Guide coverage12 / 12 sections present
Owner content reviewed — 2026-10-05T23:51:57Z by admin. Coverage measures presence, not accuracy. Content review does not certify rights or musical perfection.
See what is here and what is missing
✓ Recording evidence
✓ Key & form
✓ Chart
✓ History
✓ Playing notes
✓ Practice plan
✓ Backing track
✓ Django recording
✓ Django solo study aid
✓ Illustration
✓ Sources
✓ Difficulty
Django's Recordings
Django recordings for this tune. Uploader dates and take labels remain source claims; only an evidenced exact association enables a row’s Listen control.
5 historical recording entries · source text preserved
Entry
Year
Recording / session / release evidence
Listen
01
1937
Tea For Two,OLA 2216-1 ,"Fremeaux 307, Classics 762, EMI 780671-2, Jazz Time 798975-2","Michel Warlop (v), Django Reinhardt (g)"
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02
1937
Tea For Two,OLA 2221-1,"Fremeaux 307, Affinity AFS 1003, Classics 762, RCA 4321 237692, Mosaic MD6-190(6 CD Set).", Django Reinhardt (g)
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03
1939
Tea For Two, 21/3/39, 4972-HPP ,"Fremeaux FA 308, JSP 343, Gitanes 159 854-2"," - Paris - QHCF - Stephane Grappelly (g), Django Reinhardt, Joseph Reinhardt,Pierre Ferret (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b)"
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04
1939
Tea For Two, 21/3/39, 4972-1/2HPP ,"Fremeaux FA 308, JSP 343, Classics 793, Jazz Archives 157222, Music Memoria 87949 (Wrong Matrix - 4972-HPP), Gitanes 159 854-2"," - Paris - QHCF - Stephane Grappelly (g), Django Reinhardt, Joseph Reinhardt,Pierre Ferret (g), Emmanuel Soudieux (b)"
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05
1939
Tea For Two, 17/5/39, 5082-HPP ,"Fremeaux FA 309, Classics 813, JSP 343, Music Memoria 87949, Rhapsody RHCD6"," - QHCF - Stephane Grappelly (v), Django Reinhardt, Joseph Reinhardt,Pierre Ferret (g),Emmanuel Soudieux (b)"
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A dash means no video has been associated with this exact historical recording. Tune-level listening resources remain available above.
History & Listening
Tea For Two is credited here to Vincent Youmans. The source date is 1924; publication, composition and later lyric adaptations may have separate dates. The inherited archive lists 5 recording entries, with dated entries spanning 1939–1939. These are archive rows, not a claim that every entry is a distinct released take. The linked recording rows preserve the original discographical wording. Compare their dates, matrices and personnel when choosing a performance to study.
Tune details
Music: Vincent Youmans
Words: Irving Caesar
Published / composed / adapted — see history: 1924
Original key: Not established
Study level: Intermediate; advanced where the inherited roadmap needs reconstruction
Melody & head
Phrase across the ii–V pairs; the repeating accompaniment should not make every two bars sound identical.
Listening task: Phrase across the ii–V pairs; the repeating accompaniment should not make every two bars sound identical. Mark the key, pickup, phrase lengths and ending before comparing another version.
Session evidence
Tea For Two,OLA 2216-1 ,"Fremeaux 307, Classics 762, EMI 780671-2, Jazz Time 798975-2","Michel Warlop (v), Django Reinhardt (g)"
Compare the first and last listed entries for tempo, instrumentation and arrangement. Do not infer identical takes from a shared title. Recognise the new tonic before changing scale patterns.
Session evidence
Tea For Two, 17/5/39, 5082-HPP ,"Fremeaux FA 309, Classics 813, JSP 343, Music Memoria 87949, Rhapsody RHCD6"," - QHCF - Stephane Grappelly (v), Django Reinhardt, Joseph Reinhardt,Pierre Ferret (g),Emmanuel Soudieux (b)"
The inherited chart is in F major; A-major contrast in the inherited chart. Confirm the backing track’s sounding key, pickup and complete form before playing; an instrument label may describe a transposed score.
Chart & Form
Gm7–C7 points to F; Bm7–E7 points to A. The tune’s return must be learned as a phrase, not guessed from a familiar guitar grip.
The source includes compressed within-cell symbols such as F(/A) and Cb0. Compare their intended bass movement with a chosen edition before treating them as chord-quality instructions.
Backingtracks JAZZ · The inherited chart is in F major; A-major contrast in the inherited chart. Confirm the backing track’s sounding key, pickup and complete form before playing; an instrument label may describe a transposed score. · 5:10
Checked 2026-10-01
How this resource was selected
Most-viewed suitable match selected from the captured search results after title/composition review; not a complete YouTube ranking. Source counts were captured on 1 October 2026. Coaching, unrelated songs and non-backing performances are excluded.
Study Django's Solo
Performed studies, transcriptions, TAB, notation and lessons for studying Django’s solo. Resources are described by their creator; inclusion does not certify note-for-note accuracy.
Oscar Wolf · source-described; accuracy not independently verified
Creator presents a study of Django’s recorded solo. Use it alongside the original recording; exact transcription accuracy has not been independently reviewed.
Checked 2026-10-02
Similar tunes
Follow a shared key, a harmonic idea or a familiar form. Keys refer to this site’s chart editions; other recordings may use a different key.
Related chord movement
No sufficiently supported harmonic comparison has been added yet.
No match is established in the current chart metadata.
Behind the illustration
Two plain teacups and one small guitar pick arranged along an oblique tabletop; paired shadow loops suddenly turn into another colour zone then reconnect. The cheerful title and abrupt harmonic key contrast make the rhythm, no decorative lettering.
An original editorial interpretation of the tune. This is an illustration, not an archival photograph or a documented reconstruction of a recording session.
Original Djangopedia illustration · AI-assisted, 2026
Start with the chord tones of each written harmony. Hear B♭–A over the F-major ii–V–I.
Use passing notes only after the destination chord and phrase length are secure; this guide does not assign one scale indiscriminately to the whole tune.
Transpose a two-bar Gm7–C7 phrase up a major third to Bm7–E7. Return to the original key without pausing and keep the melody’s phrase length.
Comping & voicings
Use the same rhythmic pattern in both key areas so the harmonic change remains clear. Avoid chasing every printed diminished passing chord before the main progression is secure.
Voicing note sets
Gm7: G–B♭–F; C7: C–E–B♭; Bm7: B–D–A; E7: E–G♯–D.
Keep the accompaniment clear
Keep a quiet, even swing pulse, adjusting its density to the melody and ensemble.
Practise one chorus with only two chord attacks per bar, then restore four without changing tempo.
Remaining in F major after the A-major section begins.
Crowding the melody with dense extensions or doubling another accompanist’s register.
Practice room
Start around 100–140 bpm; increase only after the form stays secure
Your assignment
Transpose a two-bar Gm7–C7 phrase up a major third to Bm7–E7. Return to the original key without pausing and keep the melody’s phrase length.
Loop these changes
Hear B♭–A over the F-major ii–V–I.
Hear D–C♯ over the A-major ii–V–I.
Metronome
Begin with four quarter-note clicks. Halve the click rate and hear beats 2 and 4 while maintaining the same phrase lengths.
Transposition
Transpose the first complete phrase up a whole step, including its cadence. Name chord functions before finding new fingerings.
Return to F major; A-major contrast in the inherited chart and play the melodic phrase from memory.
At the session
Tea For Two — F major; A-major contrast in the inherited chart; 32 printed bars with contrasting tonal areas. Agree the pickup, tempo and ending before counting in.
Start together
Suggested rehearsal entry: give two clear bars of count-in and start the agreed pickup or first melody note. This is not claimed as a historical Django introduction.
Finish together
Agree a final melody statement and hold its tonic arrival; remove any turnaround intended to restart the chorus. Check the chosen arrangement for tags or a separate coda.
32 printed bars with contrasting tonal areas. The source includes compressed within-cell symbols such as F(/A) and Cb0. Compare their intended bass movement with a chosen edition before treating them as chord-quality instructions.
Remaining in F major after the A-major section begins.
Arranging the tune
Solo guitar
Start with melody and bass only. Add the following colour without interrupting the melody: Hear B♭–A over the F-major ii–V–I.
Trio or larger group
Use the same rhythmic pattern in both key areas so the harmonic change remains clear. Avoid chasing every printed diminished passing chord before the main progression is secure. Agree the full roadmap and signal the last head before it starts.
Vocal considerations
Choose a comfortable vocal key and transpose the whole arrangement, including its introduction and ending.
Further study
Compare common tones between F and A major with the altered notes that establish the new key. Use one common tone as a pivot in an improvised phrase.
The source includes compressed within-cell symbols such as F(/A) and Cb0. Compare their intended bass movement with a chosen edition before treating them as chord-quality instructions.
Compare the linked archive entries before attributing one arrangement to all Django performances. Keep composition history separate from the dates of Django’s recordings.
This player guide combines inherited recording evidence and editorial study notes. Musical study notes are editorial suggestions; compare them with the recording.
Photo identification and provenance; reuse rights remain unverified
Illustration credit & provenance
Original Djangopedia illustration · AI-assisted, 2026
An original editorial interpretation of the tune. This is an illustration, not an archival photograph or a documented reconstruction of a recording session.
Generated with the native image-generation tool on 2026-10-08; original editorial artwork, not a historical photograph.
Prompt: Use case: illustration-story. One original editorial feature illustration for Djangopedia's guide “Tea For Two”. Landscape 1536 × 1024, opaque background.
Scene: Two plain teacups and one small guitar pick arranged along an oblique tabletop; paired shadow loops suddenly turn into another colour zone then reconnect. The cheerful title and abrupt harmonic key contrast make the rhythm, no decorative lettering.
Musical basis from the guide: A cheerful melody hides an abrupt change of key. Repeated ii–V motion becomes a useful landmark: listen for where the same pattern starts pointing to a different tonic. The supplied chart is F major; A-major contrast in the inherited chart; form: 32 printed bars with contrasting tonal areas; feel: Swing. These describe musical inspiration, not visible writing. Historical context: Tea For Two is credited here to Vincent Youmans. The source date is 1924; publication, composition and later lyric adaptations may have separate dates. Do not illustrate disputed historical claims or suggest this imagined scene is an archival session.
Medium: Art Deco still life. Dominant palette: mint cobalt and clean white. Composition: two cups with abruptly shifted shadows. Human presence: none. Strong intentional design, clearly drawn/painted, distinctive material marks; keep essential subject safely within the central 70 percent width and middle 80 percent height for card crops. Maintain enough visual substance at thumbnail size.
Broad inspiration observed in old photo, ONLY scale/rhythm and never a reference image: three intimate figures; close conversation; broad tabletop rhythm. Independently invent every pose, perspective, clothing, setting and lighting.
Avoid: No faces, copied social gathering, readable china pattern or notes. No photorealism, archival simulation, generated text, letters, numbers, labels, fake musical notation, logo, signature, watermark, fake dates, yellowed-paper patina, recognizable artwork or copied photograph. No imitation of any named artist. Render the art edge to edge without borders, mockup or typography. Batch B diversity compensation: make light and midtone areas substantial; avoid near-black dominant backdrops, violet monochrome, empty chair/stool/bench compositions, repeated sunset terraces and generic cloud panoramas. Preserve the stated tune-specific scene. Human figures remain standing or peripheral except an explicitly named ensemble; no centered seated Django portrait. For graphic images use clearly plain colour shapes, no ruled parallel staffs, circles with stems, note-like marks or typography.
Research & rights notes
Specialist review of original editorial playing advice
Original key and precise composition date where not independently established
Inherited notation, session details and arrangement variants
Photograph reuse permissions
Photograph provenance and rights are stated separately. Attribution does not establish permission.
Tea for Two | Peter Beets & Django Reinhardt All StarsPeter Beets & Django Reinhardt All Stars · Peter BeetsNewport Jazz FestivalPeter Beets, Samson Schmitt, Ludovic Beier, Pierre Blanchard, DouDou Cuillerier and Brian Torff.✓ Featured
Adrien Moignard & Mathieu Chatelain-Tea for TwoAdrien Moignard; Mathieu Chatelain · manouchetones2018 · Samoreau 2018Informal festival guitar duo performance.Select performance
Touche de Manouche - Tea for twoTouche de Manouche · Lu GolovinaArcus Records sessionLu Golovina, Ilya Delizonas, Alexander Fomichëv and Denis Shushkov.Select performance
Hot Club of Baltimore - Tea For TwoHot Club of Baltimore · Gypsy Jazz FestAn Die Musik; Festival Jazz Manouche, 5 SeptemberExpanded ensemble with piano, clarinet and trumpet. Source warns of random camera placement; no performance year inferred.Select performance
Tea For Two w/ Adrien Tarraga (Gypsy jazz) + Free TABAdrien Tarraga; Guitare Improvisation · Guitare ImprovisationFilmed Gypsy Jazz guitar duoCreator describes their own interpretation. Separate tablature transcribes this performance; not a performed study of Django’s solo or notation-only upload.Select performance