Standards · 1935
It Ain't Necessarily So chords & key
- Key
- G minor
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1935
“It Ain't Necessarily So” is a jazz standard by George Gershwin from 1935. It is usually played in G minor as a medium swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 14 different chords and moves between the key centres A♭ major, G major and F major. In this atlas it appears on 24 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — G minor
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- C7×22
- Gm7×16
- D♭7×6
- A7♭9♯5×3
- D7♯9×3
- B♭m7×1
Key centres reached by ii–V
A♭ major, G major and F major
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"It Ain't Necessarily So" is a popular song with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by his brother Ira Gershwin. The song comes from the Gershwins' opera Porgy and Bess (1935) where it is sung by the character Sportin' Life, a drug dealer, who expresses his doubt about several statements in the Bible. The song's melody also functions as a leitmotif for Sportin' Life's character.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
Frequently asked questions
What key is It Ain't Necessarily So in?
It Ain't Necessarily So is usually played in G minor. For B♭ instruments that is A minor, for E♭ instruments E minor.
Who wrote It Ain't Necessarily So?
It Ain't Necessarily So was written by George Gershwin (1935).
What is the form of It Ain't Necessarily So?
It Ain't Necessarily So has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is It Ain't Necessarily So played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to It Ain't Necessarily So?
The opening bars are Gm7 C7 | Gm7 C7 | Gm7 C7 | Gm7 C7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.