Here is an adaptation with the guitar, ukulele and drum machine of this song from Polo & Pan in 2016 : Canopée.
Apart from being a duo of Parisian DJs, I don’t know much about Polo & Pan. It’s really the song I like the most. It has all the ingredients of music that speaks to me. A nice guitar part, elegant electronic programming, a composition that flirts with Latin sonorities and super touching vocal harmonies.
Why this song.
When I discovered this song, I listened to it over and over again. It seems that I am not the only one who had this reaction! Indeed, when I played this song with the guitar, several friends told me that they had done the same thing. And then I came across the cover of Laura Cahen that I love. This version was the trigger. Indeed, Laura Cahen, in addition to being a great musician, sings incredibly well. That being said, his guitar part on this recording left me hungry. By listening to her, she opened the door to the possibility that I could also propose a version of it.
Music.
The original tone of Canopée is in F minor. Suitable for my vocal range, I kept this tone.
The harmonic grid of the verse : Fm, G7, C7, Fm. We have C7 which is the dominant of Fm and G7 which is the dominant of C.
For the chorus : Db, Gm7(b5), C7, Fm. We have Db which is the VI degree of natural Fm, then a ii V7 i standard in natural Fm. If these harmonic questions seem obscure to you, do not panic, it will not prevent you to be a good musician:-)
And then, this modern song was the opportunity to propose an arrangement with my Alesis SR18 rhythm box. It’s an old-fashioned rhythmic box, a pre-sequencer explosion philosophy on laptops. Despite a somewhat outdated programming approach, this drum machine has a considerable advantage over any computer system: very easy to transport, it can be piloted by foot. This makes it a formidable tool for a musician looking to play with a light set.
Score and tablature.
If you like, scores and tablatures of my adaptation of Canopée are available in pdf format under this text.
I put the lead sheet of the song, the guitar arpeggio and the ukulele arpeggio.
This is a non-commercial sharing.