Standards · 1938
Cherokee chords & key
- Key
- B♭ major
- Form
- AAB
- Bars
- 48
- Groove
- Up-tempo swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1938
“Cherokee” is a jazz standard by Ray Noble from 1938. It is usually played in B♭ major as a up-tempo swing, and the 48-bar AAB form has 3 sections. Harmonically it contains 7 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 20 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major, B♭ major, B major, A major and G major. In this atlas it appears on 5 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- B♭6×10
- C7×5
- E♭maj7×4
- A♭7×4
- Cm7×4
- Fm7×2
Key centres reached by ii–V
E♭ major, B♭ major, B major, A major and G major
History
"Cherokee" (also known as "Cherokee (Indian Love Song)") is a jazz standard written by the British composer and bandleader Ray Noble, published in 1938. It is the first of five movements in Noble's Indian Suite ("Cherokee", "Comanche War Dance", "Iroquois", "Seminole", and "Sioux Sue"). Due to the tune incorporating many of the chords most commonly used in jazz and the multiple key transitions of the B-section, the tune is often recommended by tutors as a core standard to learn early on in a jazz pupil's development. Notably, Charlie Parker learned the tune in his early days in all 12 keys as a training exercise.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
Transcribed solos on Cherokee
| Wynton Marsalis trumpet | 338 BPM |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- CHEROKEE REX STEWART and His Kings of Rhythm · VERNON STORY · Noble · 1949 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Ko Ko 100% | B♭ major |
| If I Knew Then (What I Know Now) 25% | E♭ major |
| Remember 25% | F major |
| Ballade 24% | F major |
| Recordame 24% | A minor |
| September In The Rain 24% | E♭ major |
| Tadd's Delight 24% | A♭ major |
| I May Be Wrong 23% | E♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Cherokee in?
Cherokee is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.
Who wrote Cherokee?
Cherokee was written by Ray Noble (1938).
What is the form of Cherokee?
Cherokee has 3 sections (AAB) with 48 bars in total.
How fast is Cherokee played?
The usual groove is Up-tempo swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 338 BPM.
What are the chord changes to Cherokee?
The opening bars are Bb6 | Bb6 | Fm7 | Bb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.