Standards
Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love chords & key
“Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love” is a jazz standard by Charles Mingus. It is usually played in D♭ major as a ballad, and the 32-bar ABC form has 3 sections. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 38 different chords and moves between the key centres D minor, C major and A♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 12 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — D♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- D♭maj9×5
- A♭13♭9×3
- Dmaj7×3
- E×2
- E♭6×2
- A♭maj7×2
Key centres reached by ii–V
D minor, C major and A♭ major
Recorded on these albums
| 1975 | Changes One Charles Mingus · “Duke Ellington's Sound of Love” |
| 1975 | Changes Two Charles Mingus · “Duke Ellington's Sound of Love” |
| 1978 | Road Father Woody Herman · “Duke Ellington's "Sound of Love"” |
| 1981 | Plays Charles Mingus Dannie Richmond and The Last Mingus Band · “Duke Ellington Sound of Love” |
| 1992 | Tribute to Mingus Enrico Rava / François Jeanneau / Hervé Sellin / François Méchali / André Ceccarelli · “Duke Ellington's Sound of Love” |
| 1993 | Very Early Mark Murphy · “Duke Ellington's Sound of Love” |
| 1995 | Solo Piano (Standards) 1995 Anthony Braxton · “Duke Ellington's Sound of Love” |
| 2007 | Radio Days George Gruntz · “Duke Ellington's Sound of Love” |
| 2008 | Symphonica Joe Lovano · “Duke Ellington's Sound of Love” |
| 2017 | Formidable Pat Martino |
| 2020 | Charles Mingus @ Bremen 1964 & 1975 Charles Mingus · “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love” |
| 2026 | Beneath Lifted Skies Linda May Han Oh & Melissa Aldana · “Duke Ellington’s Sound of Love” |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love in?
Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love is usually played in D♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is E♭ major, for E♭ instruments B♭ major.
Who wrote Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love?
Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love was written by Charles Mingus.
What is the form of Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love?
Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love has 3 sections (ABC) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to Duke Ellington's Sound Of Love?
The opening bars are D7#9 | Dbmaj9 | Ab13b9 | Dbmaj9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.