Standards · 1926
Bye Bye Blackbird chords & key
- Key
- F major
- Form
- AB
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1926
“Bye Bye Blackbird” is a jazz standard by Ray Henderson from 1926. It is usually played in F major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar AB form has 2 sections. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences and 2 minor ii–V–i, uses 11 different chords and moves between the key centres F major and G minor. In this atlas it appears on 4 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.
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
- Gm7×11
- C7×9
- Fmaj7×5
- D7♭9×3
- F6×3
- Am7♭5×2
Key centres reached by ii–V
F major and G minor
History
"Bye Bye Blackbird" is a 1926 song written by composer Ray Henderson and lyricist Mort Dixon and published by Jerome Remick. It is considered a popular standard and was first recorded by Sam Lanin's Dance Orchestra in March 1926.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
Transcribed solos on Bye Bye Blackbird
| Ben Webster tenor saxophone | 141 BPM |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- BYE BYE BLACKBIRD PHILLIE ALL STAR STRING BAND · Dixon · Henderson · 1947 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
Frequently asked questions
What key is Bye Bye Blackbird in?
Bye Bye Blackbird is usually played in F major. For B♭ instruments that is G major, for E♭ instruments D major.
Who wrote Bye Bye Blackbird?
Bye Bye Blackbird was written by Ray Henderson (1926).
What is the form of Bye Bye Blackbird?
Bye Bye Blackbird has 2 sections (AB) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Bye Bye Blackbird played?
The usual groove is Medium swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 141 BPM.
What are the chord changes to Bye Bye Blackbird?
The opening bars are Fmaj7 | Gm7 C7 | Fmaj7 | Gm7 C7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.