ENDEIT

Standards · 1940

Imagination chords & key

Jimmy Van-Heusen · Lyrics: Johnny Burke

Key
E♭ major
Form
AABA
Bars
36
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4
Year
1940

“Imagination” is a jazz standard by Jimmy Van-Heusen from 1940. It is usually played in E♭ major as a ballad, and the 36-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 7 major ii–V–I cadences and 5 minor ii–V–i, uses 21 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major, F minor, A♭ major and G minor. In this atlas it appears on 6 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
E♭maj7Edim7
Fm7B♭7
E♭maj7A♭maj7
Gm7♭5C7♭9
Fm7C7♭13
Fm7B♭7
1.
Gm7C7
Fm7B♭7
2.
E♭maj7
B♭m7E♭7
B
A♭maj7Fm7
Am7♭5D7♭9
Gm7
C7A7♭9/D♭
Dm7Gm7
Cm7F7
Fm7B♭7
B♭7♯5
A
E♭maj7Edim7
Fm7B♭7
E♭maj7A♭maj7
Gm7♭5C7♭9
Fm7C7♭13
Fm7B♭7
D♭7♯11
C7
Fm7
B♭7
E♭6
Fm7B♭7

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

Harmonic analysis

7Major ii–V–I
5Minor ii–V–i
18ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
21Different chords

Most used chords

  • Fm7×14
  • B♭7×10
  • E♭maj7×7
  • A♭maj7×4
  • Edim7×3
  • Gm7♭5×3

Key centres reached by ii–V

E♭ major, F minor, A♭ major and G minor

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

History

"Imagination" is a popular song with music written by Jimmy Van Heusen and the lyrics by Johnny Burke. The song was first published in 1940. The two best-selling versions were recorded by the orchestras of Glenn Miller and Tommy Dorsey in 1940.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Recorded on these albums

1954 Ella-Songs in a Mellow Mood
Ella Fitzgerald
1960 This Time I’m Swingin’!
Dean Martin with orchestra conducted by Nelson Riddle
1961 I Remember Tommy
Frank Sinatra
1962 Ella Swings Gently With Nelson
Ella Fitzgerald
2002 I Want To Be Happy
Ella Fitzgerald
2017 Love in Triplicate - Sinatra Sings Great American Songbook
Frank Sinatra · “IMAGINATION (1940)”

Transcribed solos on Imagination

Woody Shaw trumpet 60 BPM Eb-maj 1987-06-24

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • Imagination Bill Harris and His Orchestra · Burke · Van Heusen · Norman Granz archive.org ↗
  • IMAGINATION COLEMAN HAWKINS QUARTET · TEDDY WILSON · Cole Hawkins · Teddy Wilson… · 1944 archive.org ↗
  • Imagination Benny Carter Quintet · Benny Carter · Oscar Peterson · Ray Brown ·… · 1953 archive.org ↗
  • Imagination Artie Shaw and His Gramercy Five · Artie Shaw · Hank Jones · Tal… · 1954 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Strike Up The Band 30% George Gershwin E♭ major ABCD · 32 Up-tempo swing
Ceora 29% Lee Morgan A♭ major ABAC · 32 Bossa nova
It Might As Well Be Spring 29% Richard Rodgers G major AAB · 66 Medium swing
Jeepers Creepers 29% Harry Warren B♭ major AABA · 34 Medium swing
This Year's Kisses 28% Irving Berlin G major AABC · 28 Medium swing
Billy Boy 27% Traditional C major AABA · 56 Medium-up swing
The Nearness Of You 27% Hoagy Carmichael F major AAB · 30 Ballad
Thou Swell 27% Richard Rodgers E♭ major ABAC · 32 Medium-up swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Imagination in?

Imagination is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Imagination?

Imagination was written by Jimmy Van-Heusen (1940).

What is the form of Imagination?

Imagination has 4 sections (AABA) with 36 bars in total.

How fast is Imagination played?

The usual groove is Ballad. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 60 BPM.

What are the chord changes to Imagination?

The opening bars are Ebmaj7 Edim7 | Fm7 Bb7 | Ebmaj7 Abmaj7 | Gm7b5 C7b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.