ENDEIT

Standards · 1930

Body And Soul chords & key

Johnny Green · Lyrics: Edward Heyman, Robert Sour, Frank Eyton

Key
D♭ major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4
Year
1930

“Body And Soul” is a jazz standard by Johnny Green from 1930. It is usually played in D♭ major as a ballad, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 8 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 26 different chords and moves between the key centres D♭ major, B♭ minor, D major and E♭ minor. In this atlas it appears in 14 transcribed solos.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — D♭ major

A
E♭m7B♭7♭13
E♭m7A♭7
D♭maj7G♭7
Fm7Edim7
E♭m7E♭m7/D♭
Cm7♭5F7♭9
B♭m7E♭m7A♭7
1.
D♭6G♭7Fm7♭5B♭7
2.
D♭6Em7A7
B
Dmaj7Em7
Dmaj7/G♭Gm7C7
G♭m7Bm7Em7A7
Dmaj7
Dm7G7
Em7E♭dim7
Dm7G7
C7B7B♭7
A
E♭m7B♭7♭13
E♭m7A♭7
D♭maj7G♭7
Fm7Edim7
E♭m7E♭m7/D♭
Cm7♭5F7♭9
B♭m7E♭m7A♭7
D♭6G♭7Fm7♭5B♭7

Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.

Harmonic analysis

8Major ii–V–I
4Minor ii–V–i
16ii–V moves
5Tritone substitutions
1Dominant chains
26Different chords

Most used chords

  • E♭m7×12
  • A♭7×6
  • G♭7×5
  • Em7×4
  • B♭7♭13×3
  • D♭maj7×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

D♭ major, B♭ minor, D major and E♭ minor

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

History

"Body and Soul" is a popular song and jazz standard written in 1930 with music by Johnny Green and lyrics by Edward Heyman, Robert Sour and Frank Eyton. It was also used as the musical theme and underscoring in the American film noir boxing drama Body and Soul.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Transcribed solos on Body And Soul

Chu Berry tenor saxophone 82 BPM C-maj 1938-11-11
Chu Berry tenor saxophone 93 BPM C-maj 1938-11-11
Roy Eldridge trumpet 107 BPM Db-maj 1938-11-11
Coleman Hawkins tenor saxophone 95 BPM Db-maj 1939-10-11
Lester Young tenor saxophone 79 BPM Db-maj 1942-07-15
Don Byas tenor saxophone 99 BPM Db-maj 1947
Sonny Stitt alto saxophone 68 BPM Db-maj 1948-06-01
John Coltrane tenor saxophone 138 BPM Db-maj 1960-10-24
John Coltrane tenor saxophone 142 BPM Db-maj 1960-10-24
Stan Getz tenor saxophone 63 BPM Db-maj 1964
Joe Lovano tenor saxophone 61 BPM Db-maj 1991-12-29
Joe Lovano tenor saxophone 60 BPM Db-maj 1991-12-29
David Murray tenor saxophone 66 BPM Db-maj 25, 26 & 30.09 1983
David Murray tenor saxophone 65 BPM Db-maj 25, 26 & 30.09 1983

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Nancy (With The Laughing Face) 21% Jimmy Van-Heusen E♭ major BBAA · 32 Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is Body And Soul in?

Body And Soul is usually played in D♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is E♭ major, for E♭ instruments B♭ major.

Who wrote Body And Soul?

Body And Soul was written by Johnny Green (1930).

What is the form of Body And Soul?

Body And Soul has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Body And Soul played?

The usual groove is Ballad. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 82 BPM, 93 BPM, 107 BPM and 95 BPM.

What are the chord changes to Body And Soul?

The opening bars are Ebm7 Bb7b13 | Ebm7 Ab7 | Dbmaj7 Gb7 | Fm7 Edim7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.