IN THEORY : "All God’s Children Got Rhythm Changes?"
by SJW Faculty DIRECTOR PATRICK WOLFF

This month, as part of our reoccurring education series (see our newsletter archive for previous articles), Jazz Faculty Director saxophonist Patrick Wolff analyzes "Rhythm Changes," one of the staples of the jazz pedagogical lexicon. Its AABA form and textbook use of the circle of fifths make it an ideal vehicle for developing jazz musicians, who will hear its echoes in literally hundreds of jazz arrangements. Catch Patrick live in San Francisco on Oct 24th at Club Deluxe or November 20th at Bluesix with his new trio (John Wiitala, bass; Hamir Atwal, drums).

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“I Got Rhythm,” composed in 1930 by George Gershwin for the musical Girl Crazy, Is one of the most frequently performed standards of the American songbook. The song is an icon of its era; the deliberately cavalier approach to grammar in the title, the syncopation and riffs of the melody, and the happy-go-lucky attitude of the lyrics all shout “jazz age!” like, well, like Ethel Merman.

In hipper contexts, this song has a special role in the world of jazz.  In addition to the many classic versions recorded by jazz musicians (Don Byas and Slam Stewart’s duo in 1945 is a highlight), the harmony and form of the song have served as a foundation for countless “original” jazz compositions (only melodies and lyrics are covered under copyright laws, so in order to save money on licensing while also expressing themselves, musicians have often substituted their own riffs or melodies over popular songs, much to the chagrin of the Gershwin estate, I’m sure). A large part of the jazz repertoire uses these chord changes as a springboard; a short list would include “Lester Leaps In,” Duke Ellington’s “Cottontail,” Sonny Rollins’ “Oleo,” Thelonious Monk’s “Rhythm-a-ning,” Charlie Parker’s “Anthropology,” “Moose The Mooche,” “Crazeology,” and even Ornette Coleman’s “Chippie.” With the exception of the 12-bar blues, there is no other single form that has inspired as many interpretations as what has been affectionately called “Rhythm Changes” (essentially “I Got Rhythm” without its signature melody).

(It may be helpful as you read to take a look at our simple arrangement of “Rhythm Changes,” which you can download in pdf form. Note that the chart refers to the chords in the key of B flat, while the analysis that follows considers the harmony in terms of intervals; Bb is the I chord in this instance as will be explained in greater detail further on.)

Like the 12-bar blues, rhythm changes are not only an essential part of any jazz musician’s core repertoire, they are also a great tool for learning some of the basics of harmonic motion. The great saxophonist Sal Nistico often claimed that all he ever practiced were blues and rhythm changes. This may have been an exaggeration, but the idea there is a good one. By mastering this form in all keys, a musician will internalize the basics of jazz harmony and learn how to weave through it, complicate it, simplify it, and then begins the real fun of improvisation.

A quick look at the melody will help in grasping the form. (If you have never heard the song [really?], now would be a great time to check out a recording). The melody is broken into four sections, each eight bars long. If you listen closely you will hear that the first two sections are the same as the last, and the third section is the only one that takes a new direction. We call this an AABA form, each letter representing an 8 bar passage, and the B section is referred to as the “bridge.” The original version of the tune had an extra four bars tagged on to the last A section on with an extra question in the lyrics, but that particular device comes dangerously close to sounding corny, and is almost always left out in jazz interpretations.

The melody itself, in both the A and B sections, contains a classic question-and-answer structure. In the A sections, the motive moves up in question, then down the same notes in a simple answer, repeats the question, and concludes with a more elaborate downward response. The bridge has this same pairing of two upward moving phrases, each followed by a downward moving phrase, but it moves the phrases through different keys. The primary question and answer phrases are made up of notes from a pentatonic scale, all very consonant, which leaves room in the harmony for decoration. Lastly, the eponymous rhythm is the same for almost every phrase in the song. This melody is riff-like in its simplicity and repetition, and many of the jazz tunes that are based on rhythm changes are likewise based on a riff, like “Lester Leaps In.”

Now that the melody is in your ears (and good luck getting it out!), it is time to examine the actual chord changes. Bars 1-2 and 3-4 of each A section are the same, and are a building block chord sequence, I-VI-ii-V (these numerals correspond to the root of each chord as it relates to the major scale of our key, Bb, so VI is G, the sixth note of a Bb major scale, and so on). The ii-V-I sequence is the most common in jazz, so spend some time with it. The important part of the sequence is the resolution of the V, which is a “dominant” chord and therefore contains some tension, to the I which follows it, which is the “tonic,” and is more consonant. Working backwards, we can see that the VI can serve as a dominant to the ii; again, the important thing is the resolution down a fifth. Bars 5-6 start to get more interesting. Here, the I chord switches from major to dominant, and not surprisingly resolves down a fifth to the IV chord. In the first A section, bars 7-8 clean up with one more ii-V (often with a iii-VI in the measure 7 to set it up) to get back to the I in the next A section, and in the second and third A sections, resolve to the I in bar 8. You can see already how the ii-V-I sequence and the motion down in fifths that it contains is the elemental material of the tune, and the movement to the IV chord is the twist which gives it character. Note that the shift to the IV occurs when the “question” part of the melody is repeated; providing familiar material for the listener to engage with while adding a new step to keep the song moving.

Arriving at the bridge, the tune introduces an unexpected chord, a dominant III, and then appears to move through several keys. On closer examination, it becomes clear what is happening; each chord is dominant, and resolves down a fifth to the next chord, which is dominant, and resolves down a fifth, etc, until we all of a sudden find ourselves resolving back to the I, Bb major, for the last A section.

At the risk of repeating myself more than the song does, try to see this whole tune in terms of this dominant-tonic, V-I, tension-release relationship. Identify the key points, especially the move to the IV chord after the I becomes dominant, and the cycling through the circle of fifths that takes us through the bridge. These are devices that you will find in song after song, so practicing “I Got Rhythm” extensively will not only prepare you for all the songs that use its chord changes, but will also prepare you for the harmony and form of most of the standards we play.