“September in the Rain” was composed by Harry Warren with lyrics by Al Dubin, introduced in the 1937 film Melody for Two. George Shearing’s 1949 quintet recording and Dinah Washington’s 1961 hit made it a jazz and pop favorite.
The form is a 32-bar ABAC. The harmony moves through ii-V progressions and secondary dominants, with a gentle, swinging feel.
Section by section: in the A section, outline the ii-Vs with guide tones and keep the phrasing relaxed. In the B section, the secondary dominants add color; highlight their leading tones. In the C section, build toward the final turnaround. Shearing’s locked-hands piano style is a great model for pianists.
Practice at medium swing. Learn the melody from Dinah Washington’s version.
Transposing tip: singers often perform it in different keys, so learn it in at least two.
Arrangement idea: try Shearing’s quintet sound, with vibes and guitar doubling the melody over locked-hands piano. For vocal versions, a medium swing in Dinah Washington’s style works beautifully.
Getting the most from the September in the Rain Lead Sheet PDF: start by reading the chord symbols without your instrument and humming the roots. Then circle any chord you can’t yet voice or arpeggiate, and make those your warm-up for the week before you play the whole form.
Using the September in the Rain Lead Sheet PDF on gigs: keep a concert-pitch copy and a copy in your instrument’s key, label the intro and ending on the page, and note the tempo and feel the band usually plays. Small notes like these keep you calm when a tune gets called on the spot.
Is it hard to play? It’s beginner to intermediate. Recordings to study: George Shearing’s quintet and Dinah Washington. Learn more about the composer on Harry Warren’s Wikipedia page, and find more standards on Minedit.