As with learning anything new, when tackling this jazzy arrangement of 'America the Beautiful,' take it slowly and work on getting a beautiful tone in both hands. The simple yet evocative melody of “America the Beautiful” has always moved me. When I was preparing to record my most recent album, This Bird Still Flies (Origin Records), I wanted to come up with an arrangement of “America” that would be fresh and personal while retaining the original song’s beauty and simplicity. As an arranger and improviser, there were many routes I could have taken, but I chose to keep the tempo relatively slow and stately, so that the melody would really stand out. And while there are a few tricky passages, I stayed pretty close to the fundamental harmony, so it shouldn’t be too hard to play. I hope you will enjoy learning my interpretation of “America” as much as I enjoyed arranging it. Watch full lesson