Standards · 1938
Alexander's Ragtime Band chords & key
- Key
- F major
- Form
- ABAC
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1938
“Alexander's Ragtime Band” is a jazz standard by Irving Berlin from 1938. Most bands play it in F major, medium swing; the tune runs 32 bars in ABAC form. Harmonically it contains 1 major ii–V–I cadence, uses 7 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 5 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — F major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- F6×14
- B♭6×9
- C7×5
- G7×4
- Gm7×1
- F7×1
Characteristics
- ABAC song form
History
Alexander's Ragtime Band is a 1938 American musical film released by 20th Century Fox that takes its name from the 1911 Irving Berlin song "Alexander's Ragtime Band" to tell a story of a society boy who scandalizes his family by pursuing a career in ragtime instead of "serious" music. The film generally traces the history of jazz music from the popularization of Ragtime in the early years of the 20th century to the acceptance of swing as an art form in the late 1930s using music composed by Berlin. The story spans more than two decades from the 1911 release of its name-sake song to some point in time after the 1933 release of "Heat Wave", presumably 1938. It stars Tyrone Power, Alice Faye, Don Ameche, Ethel Merman, Jack Haley and Jean Hersholt. Several actual events in the history of jazz are fictionalized and adapted to the story including the tour of Europe by Original Dixieland Jass Band, the global spread of jazz by U.S.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
| 1952 | Bing and Connee Bing Crosby and Connee Boswell · “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” |
| 1953 | Oscar Peterson Plays Irving Berlin Oscar Peterson |
| 1958 | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” |
| 1959 | The Genius of Ray Charles Ray Charles |
| 2002 | It’s Easy to Remember Bing Crosby · “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND THE DUTCH SWING COLLEGE BAND · Kees van Dorsser · Wim Kolstee ·… archive.org ↗
- Alexander's Ragtime Band Alexander's Jazz Band · Irving Berlin · R. Alexander Scobey · Harry… · 1948 archive.org ↗
- Alexander's Ragtime Band The Dutch Swing College Band · Kees van Dorsser · Wim Kolstee ·… · 1949 archive.org ↗
- ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND FRANK COUGHLAN & HIS LUCKY SEVEN · F. Coughlan · Les Dixon · A… · 1950 archive.org ↗
- ALEXANDER'S RAGTIME BAND JOHNNY MADDOX And The Rhythmasters · Dot Records · 1953 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| L.O.V.E. 35% | G major |
| Scrapple From The Apple 31% | F major |
| Flat Foot Floogee 25% | F major |
| Solitude 24% | E♭ major |
| Sentimental Journey 22% | C major |
| A Smooth One 21% | F major |
| Bourbon Street Parade 21% | A♭ major |
| Creole Love Call 21% | B♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Alexander's Ragtime Band in?
Alexander's Ragtime Band is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.
Who wrote Alexander's Ragtime Band?
Alexander's Ragtime Band was written by Irving Berlin (1938).
What is the form of Alexander's Ragtime Band?
Alexander's Ragtime Band has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Alexander's Ragtime Band played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to Alexander's Ragtime Band?
The opening bars are F6 | F6 | G7 C7 | F6. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.