Got 'Rhythm'?
| October, 2005
When jazz musicians speak of “Rhythm changes,” they are referring to the chord changes of George Gershwin’s classic composition “I Got Rhythm.” Because of the simple nature of the original chord progression and its opportunities for reharmonization, “I Got Rhythm” has become the basis for thousands of other melodies and compositions by jazz musicians. A practical knowledge of Rhythm changes is necessary for any jazz bassist—they have been and always will be a test of competence, creativity, and stamina. This month, we’ll look at a solo étude over the 32-bar, AABA form of Rhythm changes, including a couple of common variations. Play the étude slowly at first to get the sound of the line in your head.
The first four bars of the A sections are made up of two I–VI–II–V turnarounds in B
. After a bar of B7 and a bar of Emaj7, there is a III–VI–II–V turnaround in bars 7 and 8, leading back into the second A. In bars 15 and 16, the changes go from Bmaj7 to F7, then back to Bmaj7—the home base before moving to the bridge, B.
The classic “I Got Rhythm” bridge is a cycle of 4ths: D7, G7, C7, F7. Jazz players often make chord substitutions in the bridge. In this étude, I changed the D7 to a D7#9 on beats three and four of bar 18. I also added the Cm7 in bar 23, instead of going directly to the F7.
The last A uses a variation of the basic Rhythm changes used in the first two A’s, sometimes referred to as “jazz Rhythm changes.” Bar 25 starts with the Bmaj7, and then moves to a Bdim7 on beat three. This leads smoothly into the Cm7 in bar 26, followed by a C#dim7 on beat three of that bar. These passing diminished chords give a nice feeling of movement to the progression. Take a look at bar 30—the chords move from the Emaj7 to an Em7. Compare this to the same spot in the second A section, bar 14. In that bar, the chords move from Emaj7 to Edim7. Bar 30’s is a slight (but very important and common) variation on Rhythm changes.
How do you know when to use which variations? The best way is to master several songs each using a specific type of the Rhythm-changes progression. “The Serpent’s Tooth” by Miles Davis uses a progression similar to bars 25 to 32 of this étude; Charlie Parker’s “Anthropology” uses a progression similar to bars 1 through 8.
Another indispensable way to learn the ins and outs of this essential chord progression is to listen to recordings of bass players wailing on the changes. Good examples are: “I Got Rhythm” (Slam Stewart and Don Byas in duet, Smithsonian History of Classic Jazz), “The Theme” (Paul Chambers, Bass on Top, Blue Note), and the 25-minute version of “Oleo” with Bob Cranshaw on bass (Sonny Rollins, Our Man in Jazz, RCA).
Slow, fast, burnin’ or groovy, Rhythm changes are great to play on. Who got Rhythm? Now you do. Until next time, keep swinging!
Huh?
Étude A piece of music written to help develop a particular technique or theoretical concept
Reharmonize To substitute new chords for the original chords, while preserving the cadential (tonal) function
Popular tunes with Rhythm changes
“Cottontail” Duke Ellington
“Lester Leaps In” Lester Young
“Moose the Mooch” Charlie Parker
“Oleo” Sonny Rollins
“Rhythm-a-Ning” Thelonious Monk
“Salt Peanuts” Charlie Parker
“The Theme” Miles Davis
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