Standards

Mack The Knife chords & key

Key: B♭ major
Form: A
Bars: 16
Groove: Medium swing
Time signature: 4/4

“Mack The Knife” is a jazz standard by Weill-Brecht. It is usually played in B♭ major as a medium swing, and the 16-bar A form repeats as one section. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 4 different chords. In this atlas it appears on 8 album tracks.

Chord changes

to key

Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major

B♭⁶

C^m7

F⁷

B♭⁶

G^m7

C^m7

C^m7F⁷

B♭⁶

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

Harmonic analysis

2Major ii–V–I

0Minor ii–V–i

2ii–V moves

0Tritone substitutions

0Dominant chains

4Different chords

Most used chords

B♭⁶×6
C^m7×6
F⁷×3
G^m7×2

Recorded on these albums

1957	Bing With a Beat Bing Crosby with Bob Scobey’s Frisco Jazz Band · “Mack the Knife”
1978	Lady Time Ella Fitzgerald · “Mack the Knife”
1984	L.A. Is My Lady Frank Sinatra with Quincy Jones and His Orchestra · “Mack the Knife”
1990	Satchmo Louis Armstrong
2005	Louis Armstrong - Great Moments 8 Louis Armstrong · “Mack the Knife”
2016	Live in Cologne, 1974 (Live) Ella Fitzgerald · “Mack the Knife (live)”
2025	Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles, Volume 2 Ella Fitzgerald · “Mack the Knife”
—	Bing Crosby Bing Crosby · “Mack the Knife”

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

Title	Composer	Key	Form	Groove
Mimi 36%	Richard Rogers	G major	AABA · 32	Medium swing
52nd Street Theme 33%	Thelonious Monk	C major	AABA · 32	Up-tempo swing
Big Nick 33%	John Coltrane	G major	A · 8	Medium slow
I Don't Want To Miss Mississippi 29%	Serger Ellis	G major	AAB · 48	Medium swing
The Rainbow Connection 29%	Williams-Ascher	G major	AAB · 34	Jazz waltz
I Ain't Got Nobody 28%	Graham-Williams	G major	AABA · 32	Slow swing
I Like The Likes Of You 28%	Vernon Duke	E♭ major	AABA · 32	Medium swing
Lennie-Bird 27%	Lennie Tristano	G major	A · 16	Medium-up swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Mack The Knife in?

Mack The Knife is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.

Who wrote Mack The Knife?

Mack The Knife was written by Weill-Brecht.

What is the form of Mack The Knife?

Mack The Knife has 1 sections (A) with 16 bars in total.

How fast is Mack The Knife played?

The usual groove is Medium swing.

What are the chord changes to Mack The Knife?

The opening bars are Bb6 | Bb6 | Cm7 | Cm7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.