In jazz, rhythm changes are a modified form of the chord progression of George Gershwin's song "I Got Rhythm", which form the basis of countless (usually uptempo) jazz compositions. Rhythm changes were popular with swing-era musicians – they are used in "Shoe Shine Boy" (Lester Young's 1929 breakout recording with Count Basie) and "Cotton Tail" written by Duke Ellington in 1940, for instance. But their enduring popularity is largely due to their extensive use by early bebop musicians. "I Got Rhythm" was already a popular jazz standard, and by writing a new song over its chord changes (a type of composition known as a contrafact), the tune could be copyrighted to the artist instead of requiring that royalties be paid to the Gershwin estate. For other uses, see Jazz (disambiguation). ... A chord progression (also chord sequence and harmonic progression or sequence), as its name implies, is a series of chords played in order. ... Gershwin redirects here. ... I Got Rhythm is a song composed by George Gershwin with lyrics by Ira Gershwin, published in 1930, which became a widely-known jazz standard. ... Cotton Tail is a 1940 composition by Duke Ellington. ... This article is about the American Jazz composer and performer. ... Jazz standard refers to a tune that is widely known, performed, and recorded among jazz musicians. ... A contrafact is a new musical composition built out of an already existing one, most often a new melody overlaid on a familiar harmonic structure. ... The copyright symbol is used to give notice that a work is covered by copyright. ... The definition of an artist is wide-ranging and covers a broad spectrum of activities to do with creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. ...

"Rhythm changes" are a thirty-two-bar form. In Roman numeral shorthand, the actual chords used in the "A" section are The thirty-two-bar form, often shortened to AABA, is a musical form common in Tin Pan Alley songs, later popular music including rock and pop music, and jazz. ...

 | I vi | ii V | 

(tonic-submediant-supertonic-dominant) played twice, then

 | I I7 | IV #iv°7 | I V | I | (or | I I7 | IV iv |, which is what Gershwin originally wrote) 

In C major, for example, these chords would be

 | C Am7 | Dm G | C Am7 | Dm G | | C C7 | F F#° | C G | C | (or | C C7 | F Fm |) 

The "bridge" consists of a series of dominant sevenths that follow the circle of fifths, sustained for two bars each and thus conveying the sense of a shifting key center: In music theory, the circle of fifths (or cycle of fifths) is an imaginary geometrical space that depicts relationships among the 12 equal-tempered pitch classes comprising the familiar chromatic scale. ...

 | III7 | ÷ | VI7 | ÷ | II7 | ÷ | V7 | ÷ | 

In our example, we begin with an E7, followed by an A7, then D7 and finally G7, bringing us back to the original key for a final reprise of the A section. A two-bar "tag" at the end of the Gershwin tune is generally omitted. While rhythm changes can be played in any key, they are most commonly played in concert B-flat and sometimes E-flat.

Variant versions of the A section changes are legion: often the beboppers, for instance, would superimpose series of "two-fives" (passing sequences of minor-7th and dominant-7th chords) on the A section in order to make things interesting for themselves (and in order to discourage lesser musicians from sitting in on the bandstand).

The component A and B sections of rhythm changes were also sometimes used for other tunes: for instance, Charlie Parker's "Scrapple from the Apple" uses the chord changes of "Honeysuckle Rose" for the A section, but replaces the B section with "Rhythm"'s | III7 | VI7 | II7 | V7 | bridge. Other tunes, such as Sonny Stitt's "The Eternal Triangle", or "the Muppet Show Theme", use the A section of "Rhythm" but have a different bridge. Often in rhythm changes tunes, the B section is left free for improvisation even during the head (e.g. in Sonny Rollins' "Oleo"). Honeysuckle Rose is a 1928 song composed by Fats Waller, with lyrics written by Andy Razaf. ... Theodore Walter Sonny Rollins (born September 7, 1930 in New York City) is an American jazz tenor saxophonist. ...

Examples of Rhythm Changes Tunes

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There are copious Rhythm Changes tunes. This list is mostly adapted from David Baker (composer)'s book //How to Learn Tunes: A Jazz Musician's Survival Guide//, collated here: http://abel.hive.no/oj/musikk/trompet/tpin/rhytm-changes.html. Image File history File links Question_book-3. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ...

• Allen's Alley (AKA Wee) by Denzil Best
• Almost by David Baker
• Anthropology (AKA Thrivin' From a Riff) by Charlie Parker/Dizzy Gillespie
• Apple Honey by Woody Herman
• Arc by Sean Wayland
• Australian Rhythm Changes (album) by Sean Wayland
• Bop Kick by Nat Cole
• Boppin' a Riff by Sonny Stitt
• Brown Gold by Art Pepper
• Bud's Bubble by Bud Powell
• Call the Police by Nat Cole
• Calling Dr. Jazz by Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis
• Celerity by Charlie Parker
• Chant of the Groove by Coleman Hawkins
• Chasin' the Bird by Charlie Parker
• Cheers by Charlie Parker
• Chippie by Ornette Coleman
• Constellation by Charlie Parker
• Coolie Rini by Howard McGhee
• Coppin' the Bop by J. J. Johnson
• Cottontail by Duke Ellington
• Daphne by Django Reinhardt
• Delerium by Tadd Dameron
• Dexter's Deck by Dexter Gordon
• Dexterity by Charlie Parker
• Dizzy Atmosphere by Dizzy Gillespie
• Don't Be That Way by Edgar Sampson
• Dorothy by Howard McGhee
• The Duel by Dexter Gordon
• Eb Pob by Fats Navarro/Leo Parker
• Fat Girl by Fats Navarro
• Father Steps In by Dixon/Randall/Hines/Fox
• Fifty Second Street Theme by Thelonious Monk
• Fox Hunt by J. J. Johnson
• Fungii Mama [sic] by Blue Mitchell
• Goin' To Minton's by Fats Navarro
• Good Queen Bess by Duke Ellington
• The Goof and I by Al Cohn
• Hamp's Paws by Hampton Hawes
• Harlem Swing by Nat Cole
• Hollerin' and Screamin' by Eddie Davis
• I'm an Errand Boy for Rhythm by Nat Cole
• In Walked Horace by J. J. Johnson
• Jay Jay by J. J. Johnson
• Jaybird by J. J. Johnson
• The Jeep is Jumpin' by Duke Ellington
• Jug Handle by Gene Ammons
• Juggernaut by Gene Ammons
• Juggin' Around by Frank Foster
• Jumpin' at the Woodside by Count Basie
• Lemon Drop by George Wallington
• Lester Leaps In by Lester Young
• Lila Mae by Nat Cole
• Little Jazz by Roy Eldridge/Buster Harding
• The Little Man on the White Keys by Nat Cole
• Miss Thing by Count Basie
• Moody Speaks (original version) by James Moody /Dave Burns
• Moody's Got Rhythm by James Moody
• Moose the Mooche by Charlie Parker
• Mop, Mop by Slim Gaillard/Slam Stewart/Art Tatum
• Newk's Fadeway by Sonny Rollins
• No Moe by Sonny Rollins
• Northwest Passage by Woody Herman/Chubby Jackson/Ralph Burns
• O Go Mo by Sonny Rollins
• Oleo by Sonny Rollins
• On the Scene by Gillespie/Fuller/Roberts
• One Bass Hit by Dizzy Gillespie
• Oo-Bop-Sha-Bam by Dizzy Gillespie
• An Oscar for Treadwell by Dizzy Gillespie
• Ow by Charlie Greenlea
• Passport by Charlie Parker

• Raid the Joint by Erskine Hawkins
• "Ready 'N Able" by George Benson
• Red Cross by Charlie Parker
• Rhythm in a Riff by Billy Eckstine
• Rhythm Sam by Nat Cole
• Rhythm-a-ning by Thelonious Monk
• Salt Peanuts by Dizzy Gillespie
• Second Balcony Jump by Billy Eckstine/Gerald Valentine
• Seven Come Eleven by Charlie Christian
• Shag by Sidney Bechet
• Shaw Nuff by Dizzy Gillespie
• Shoo Shoo Baby by Phil Moore
• Solid Potato Salad by DePaul/Prince/Raye
• Sonnyside by Sonny Stitt
• Squatty Roo by Johnny Hodges
• Stay On It by Tadd Dameron
• Steeplechase by Charlie Parker
• Straighten Up and Fly Right by Nat Cole
• The Street Beat by C. Thompson / Robert Mellin
• Strictly Confidential by Bud Powell
• Swedish Schnapps by Charlie Shavers
• Swing Spring by J. J. Johnson
• Swingin' With Diane by Art Pepper
• Syntax by J. J. Johnson
• Ta-de-ah by Nat Cole
• The Theme by Miles Davis
• Three Way Split by Hank Mobley
• Tiptoe by Thad Jones
• Turnpike by J. J. Johnson
• Wail by Bud Powell
• Webb City by Bud Powell
• Wee (AKA Allen's Alley) by Denzil Best
• Whistle Stop by Kenny Dorham
• Who's Who by Art Farmer
• Wire Brush Stomp by Gene Krupa
• XYZ by Budd Johnson
• Yeah Man by J. Russel Robinson
• You & Me & The Bottle Makes 3 Tonight by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy