Standards
Brother Can You Spare A Dime chords & key
- Key
- C minor
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Slow swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“Brother Can You Spare A Dime” is a jazz standard by Yarburg-Gorney. Most bands play it in C minor, slow swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 23 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major and C minor. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — C minor
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Cm×14
- G7×7
- F7×6
- B♭7×5
- G7♭9×4
- A♭7×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
E♭ major and C minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1965 | My Name Is Barbra, Two… Barbra Streisand · “Medley:: Second Hand Rose / Give Me the Simple Life / I Got Plenty of Nothin’ / Brother Can You Spare a Dime? / Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out / Second Hand Rose / The Best Things in Life Are Free” |
| 2000 | Don't Fence Me In Bing Crosby · “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime” |
| 2002 | It’s Easy to Remember Bing Crosby · “Brother, Can You Spare a Dime?” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| The Boulevard Of Broken Dreams 20% | D minor |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Brother Can You Spare A Dime in?
Brother Can You Spare A Dime is usually played in C minor. For B♭ instruments that is D minor, for E♭ instruments A minor.
Who wrote Brother Can You Spare A Dime?
Brother Can You Spare A Dime was written by Yarburg-Gorney.
What is the form of Brother Can You Spare A Dime?
Brother Can You Spare A Dime has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Brother Can You Spare A Dime played?
The usual groove is Slow swing.
What are the chord changes to Brother Can You Spare A Dime?
The opening bars are Cm | Fm | Cm | Fm7 Bb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.