A Gershwin melody for learning musical conversation and leaving purposeful space.
If you study one thing
Sing one question phrase and answer it on guitar.
William P. Gottlieb / Library of Congress Aquarium, New York · circa November 1946 · Photo credits
Chart keyNot established
FormNot established
FeelSwing
Meter4/4
MusicGeorge Gershwin
Guide coverage9 / 12 sections present
Owner content reviewed — 2026-10-18T23:08:25Z 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
✓ Photograph
✓ 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.
1 historical recording entries · source text preserved
Entry
Year
Recording / session / release evidence
Listen
01
1937
Somebody Loves Me,OLA 1984-1 ,"Fremeaux 306, Affinity AFS 1003","23/11/37 - Paris - Eddie South (v), Django Reinhardt (g)"
—
A dash means no video has been associated with this exact historical recording. Tune-level listening resources remain available above.
History & Listening
The Levy sheet-music collection documents the 1924 Gershwin song and its lyric credits. The proposed easy-head lesson is a melody aid; the original Django listening selection is preserved separately.
Tune details
Music: George Gershwin
Words: Ballard MacDonald, Buddy DeSylva
Source-attributed publication / composition: 1924
Original key: Not established
Study level: Intermediate; sing one question phrase and answer it on guitar
Melody & head
A Gershwin melody for learning musical conversation and leaving purposeful space.
The lesson’s melody does not authenticate a complete Django solo or an exact historical take.
Study the inherited Django recording evidence
A Gershwin melody for learning musical conversation and leaving purposeful space.
Session evidence
Somebody Loves Me,OLA 1984-1 ,"Fremeaux 306, Affinity AFS 1003","23/11/37 - Paris - Eddie South (v), Django Reinhardt (g)"
Follow the song’s question-and-answer phrasing. Mark the note that settles each answer and build a simple arpeggio around that point after verifying the chosen accompaniment. Check the video key before playing with the chart.
Chart & Form
Follow the song’s question-and-answer phrasing. Mark the note that settles each answer and build a simple arpeggio around that point after verifying the chosen accompaniment.
A complete chord chart has not yet been verified. The exercises are editorial listening and practice suggestions, not a replacement score.
No readable chord chart has been added for this title.
BACKING TRACK - SOMEBODY LOVES ME (George Gershwin, Ballard McDonald, B DeSylva) (F) 190 BPM SWING
Luc Maes
Swing · 190 BPM · 5m43s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.
Creator-provided play-along; instrumentation and feel vary by selection. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.
Performed studies, transcriptions, TAB, notation and lessons for studying Django’s solo. Inclusion does not certify note-for-note accuracy.
No Django solo study aid yet. Know a useful resource — or want to record a study of this solo?
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.
Same chart key
No match is established in the current chart metadata.
Same form
No match is established in the current chart metadata.
Behind the photograph
Editorial reuse of a documented public-domain Gottlieb photograph; not a photograph of this tune or recording session. Six photographs are each proposed for two Stage 6D guides.
Part of William P. Gottlieb’s documented Aquarium photographs in New York, circa November 1946. The catalogue supplies the location and approximate date; this is not evidence of a particular tune being played.
Selected performances by notable Gypsy Jazz players and ensembles. Inclusion is editorial and does not imply an objective popularity ranking.
Notable Gypsy Jazz performances are being curated.
Improvisation
Target notes & voice leading
Follow the song’s question-and-answer phrasing. Mark the note that settles each answer and build a simple arpeggio around that point after verifying the chosen accompaniment.
Sing the destination note before connecting it to the preceding chord.
Pitch choices
Begin with the named chord tones. Add passing notes only after the melody and cadence are secure.
Sing one question phrase and answer it on guitar. Reverse those roles on the next pass, keeping the rests and breath lengths.
Comping & voicings
Support the singer or lead instrument with small voicings. Add a fill only after the melody’s answer has finished.
Voicing note sets
Support the singer or lead instrument with small voicings. Add a fill only after the melody’s answer has finished.
Keep the accompaniment clear
First establish an even pulse; add rhythmic variation only when the melody leaves space.
The lesson’s melody does not authenticate a complete Django solo or an exact historical take.
Creator-labelled easy melody study, not a Django solo recreation.
Practice room
80–120 bpm, then increase gradually
Your assignment
Sing one question phrase and answer it on guitar. Reverse those roles on the next pass, keeping the rests and breath lengths.
Loop these changes
Sing one question phrase and answer it on guitar. Reverse those roles on the next pass, keeping the rests and breath lengths.
Metronome
Count quarter notes first. Then place the click on beats 2 and 4 at half the click rate, keeping the phrase length unchanged.
Transposition
Move one short cadence to a nearby key by naming its chord tones, then return to the chosen study key.
At the session
Confirm the chosen arrangement key; Confirm the complete form. Agree the arrangement, pickup and ending before counting in.
Start together
Count a clear tempo and use the final cadence of the agreed arrangement.
Finish together
Cue the final tonic together; agree any tag before starting.
The lesson’s melody does not authenticate a complete Django solo or an exact historical take.
The lesson’s melody does not authenticate a complete Django solo or an exact historical take.
Arranging the tune
Solo guitar
Keep the melody uppermost and begin with a single bass note under each harmony. Support the singer or lead instrument with small voicings. Add a fill only after the melody’s answer has finished.
Trio or larger group
Support the singer or lead instrument with small voicings. Add a fill only after the melody’s answer has finished.
Vocal considerations
Choose a comfortable singing key and transpose the accompaniment as a whole; lyrics are not reproduced here.
Sources & credits
This player guide combines inherited recording evidence and editorial study notes. Musical study notes are editorial suggestions; compare them with the recording.
BACKING TRACK - SOMEBODY LOVES ME (George Gershwin, Ballard McDonald, B DeSylva) (F) 190 BPM SWINGLuc MaesSwing · 190 BPM · 5m43s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.Creator-provided play-along; instrumentation and feel vary by selection. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.✓ Featured
Somebody Loves Me - Gypsy Jazz Backing Track 180 BPM - Django ReinhardtHot Club de FranceSwing · 180 BPM · 4m27s · Video available when checked; creator-described attribution.Creator-provided play-along; instrumentation and feel vary by selection. Check the key and full arrangement before joining in; the guide chart may use another key. Tempo is the creator’s stated value.Select video