"Whittlin'" is an original blues composition by guitarist Pat Metheny, cast in a 12-bar blues form. The tune reflects Metheny's ability to work within traditional jazz structures while imprinting them with his own melodic and harmonic sensibility. The written melody blends lyrical phrasing with the harmonic sophistication characteristic of Metheny's broader compositional voice, treating the blues form not as a simple framework but as a vehicle for expressive, carefully shaped melodic writing. The result is a piece that feels rooted in the blues tradition yet distinctly modern in its approach to line and color. Metheny's compositional process, as he has described it, typically involves generating dozens of musical ideas ranging from grooves to nearly complete pieces, often using tools like the Synclavier, before refining and road-testing them with collaborators. "Whittlin'" appears in both The Pat Metheny Songbook and The Pat Metheny Real Book, placing it among the more than 167 compositions Metheny has formally published. Its inclusion in these musician-oriented collections indicates that the piece is intended for performance and improvisation in ensemble settings. The tune was recorded for Metheny's 1993 album Wish, a collaboration with tenor saxophonist Joshua Redman, bassist Charlie Haden, and drummer Billy Higgins. While "Whittlin'" has not become a widely performed standard beyond Metheny's own projects, it stands as a representative example of his approach to the blues idiom within a contemporary jazz context.
