“Four on Six” is a composition by guitarist Wes Montgomery, recorded on his 1960 album The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery. The title refers to the fourth and sixth strings of the guitar, which play the tune’s opening bass figure. It’s a guitar standard and a favorite of all jazz musicians.
The tune is in G minor and opens with a repeating bass figure over the tonic minor. The A sections move from Gm through a series of descending ii-V progressions before returning home, and the bridge offers contrasting harmony. It’s usually played at a medium-up swing.
Section by section: over the G minor vamp, use G Dorian and blues ideas, imitating the bass figure rhythmically. When the descending ii-Vs arrive, practice one ii-V lick and move it down by half step or whole step as the chords move. In the bridge, outline each chord with arpeggios and guide tones, then return to the earthy minor sound for the final A. Wes is famous for building his solos in three stages: single notes, then octaves, then block chords, and borrowing that structure works for any instrument.
Practice the opening bass figure, then the melody, then the changes with roots and guide tones. Guitarists should practice playing the melody in octaves like Wes.
Transposing tip: Bb instruments read it in A minor, Eb instruments in E minor.
Memorizing the Four on Six Lead Sheet PDF: learn the form in sections, not all at once. Play the first eight bars until you can do them with your eyes closed, then add the next section. Within a week or two you won’t need the page at all, which is the real goal of any lead sheet.
Is it hard to play? It’s intermediate. Recordings to study: The Incredible Jazz Guitar of Wes Montgomery and his live recordings. Learn more about the composer on Wes Montgomery’s Wikipedia page, and find more guitar-friendly jazz lead sheets on Minedit.