“Tell Me a Bedtime Story” is a Herbie Hancock composition, first recorded on his 1969 album Fat Albert Rotunda, written for the Fat Albert TV special. Hancock later recorded it with other groups, and its gentle, lilting melody and sophisticated harmony have made it a favorite of modern jazz pianists.
The tune has a soft, swaying groove with chord changes that move through major seventh chords, suspended chords and ii-V progressions. The melody is tender and childlike, fitting the title.
Section by section: in the opening section, use Lydian and major sounds over the major seventh chords and keep your phrases soft and melodic. When the harmony moves through ii-Vs, outline them with guide tones. In the contrasting section, the harmony shifts to new colors, so learn each chord’s sound slowly. Hancock’s own playing balances lyricism with rhythmic sophistication.
Practice at a relaxed tempo. Pianists should study Hancock’s voicings, which use extended chords and smooth voice leading.
Transposing tip: horn players should get a lead sheet in their key.
Arrangement idea: use electric piano for a warm, 1970s sound, and keep the drums light with a gentle groove. Flute or soprano saxophone suits the melody’s tender character. End softly with the melody repeated quietly.
Using the Tell Me a Bedtime Story 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.
Practice checklist for the Tell Me a Bedtime Story Lead Sheet PDF: play the melody from memory, play roots through the form, play guide tones, improvise one chorus of chord tones only, and finally record yourself soloing over a play-along. Listening back is the fastest way to spot what to fix next.
Is it hard to play? It’s intermediate. Recordings to study: Fat Albert Rotunda and Hancock’s later recordings. Learn more about the composer on Herbie Hancock’s Wikipedia page, and find more Herbie Hancock lead sheets on Minedit.