Tenor saxophone solo · 1959

John Coltrane: Giant Steps

Key: E♭ major
Tempo: 290 BPM UP
Rhythm feel: Swing
Style: Hardbop
Choruses: 11
Form: A16

John Coltrane's solo on “Giant Steps” has 1,127 notes in 148 seconds (7.6 notes per second), spanning 24 semitones from Eb3 to Eb5. The average tempo is 290 BPM with a swing feel. About 54% of the melodic motion is stepwise (one or two semitones).

Notes

1,127Notes

148sSolo length

7.6Notes per second

Eb3–Eb5Range (24 semitones)

54%Stepwise motion

Pitch-class distribution

C♯

E♭

F♯

A♭

B♭

Most frequent intervals

-2 ×218
+2 ×193
-1 ×136
+3 ×122
-3 ×91
-4 ×77

Changes played over

B^maj7D⁷

G^maj7B♭⁷

E♭^maj7

A^m7D⁷

G^maj7B♭⁷

E♭^maj7G♭⁷

B^maj7

F^m7B♭⁷

E♭^maj7

A^m7D⁷

G^maj7

D♭^m7G♭⁷

B^maj7

F^m7B♭⁷

E♭^maj7

D♭^m7G♭⁷

Record

Record: Giant Steps · Atlantic Records · 1959
Recorded: 1959
Line-up: Paul Chambers (b); Art Taylor (dr); Tommy Flanagan (p); John Coltrane (ts)
Composer: John Coltrane
Solo length: 00:26-02:54

Source: Weimar Jazz Database, Jazzomat Research Project (HfM Weimar), ODbL 1.0.