ENDEIT

Standards

I'm Beginning To See The Light chords & key

Hodges-James-Ellington

Key
C major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Medium-up swing
Time signature
4/4

“I'm Beginning To See The Light” is a jazz standard by Hodges-James-Ellington. Most bands play it in C major, medium-up swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. In this atlas it appears on 8 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — C major

A
×2
D7G7
C6A7
D7G7
E♭m7A♭7
D7G7
C7B♭7A7
D7G7
C6
B
E7
E7
E♭7
E♭7
D7
D7
A♭7
G7
A
D7G7
C6A7
D7G7
E♭m7A♭7
D7G7
C7B♭7A7
D7G7
C6

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

Harmonic analysis

0Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
3ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
21Dominant chains
10Different chords

Most used chords

  • D7×14
  • G7×13
  • C6×6
  • A7×6
  • A♭7×4
  • E♭m7×3

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

Recorded on these albums

1957 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Duke Ellington Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald · “I’m Beginning to See the Light”
1962 Sinatra and Swingin’ Brass
Frank Sinatra · “I’m Beginning to See the Light”
1963 The Great Reunion
Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington · “I'm Beginning to See the Light”
1963 Ella and Basie!
Ella Fitzgerald & The Count Basie Orchestra · “I’m Beginning to See the Light”
1966 The Duke At Tanglewood
Duke Ellington • Boston Pops • Arthur Fiedler
1982 It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing
Duke Ellington & Teresa Brewer · “I’m Beginning to See the Light”
1993 Jazz Tribune No.69: Indispensable
Duke Ellington · “I'm Beginning to See the Light”
2008 Columbia Jazz Profiles
Duke Ellington · “I’m Beginning to See the Light”

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • I'm Beginning to See the Light Oscar Pettiford · Billy Taylor · Charlie Mingus · Charlie Smith · 1952 archive.org ↗

Frequently asked questions

What key is I'm Beginning To See The Light in?

I'm Beginning To See The Light is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.

Who wrote I'm Beginning To See The Light?

I'm Beginning To See The Light was written by Hodges-James-Ellington.

What is the form of I'm Beginning To See The Light?

I'm Beginning To See The Light has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is I'm Beginning To See The Light played?

The usual groove is Medium-up swing.

What are the chord changes to I'm Beginning To See The Light?

The opening bars are D7 G7 | C6 A7 | D7 G7 | Ebm7 Ab7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.