Standards · 1937
Nice Work If You Can Get It chords & key
- Key
- G major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 34
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1937
“Nice Work If You Can Get It” is a jazz standard by George Gershwin from 1937. Most bands play it in G major, medium swing; the tune runs 34 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 18 different chords and moves between the key centres G major and D minor. In this atlas it appears on 17 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — G major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Am7×7
- D7×6
- C7×6
- B7♯5×5
- Em7×5
- E7×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
G major and D minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"Nice Work If You Can Get It" is a popular song and jazz standard composed by George Gershwin, with lyrics by Ira Gershwin.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- Nice Work If You Can Get It Mary Ann McCall · Phil Moore Orchestra · George & Ira Gershwin · 1949 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Heart And Soul 24% | F major |
| Let's Fall In Love 22% | C major |
| I Got Rhythm 20% | B♭ major |
| Put On A Happy Face 20% | E♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Nice Work If You Can Get It in?
Nice Work If You Can Get It is usually played in G major. For B♭ instruments that is A major, for E♭ instruments E major.
Who wrote Nice Work If You Can Get It?
Nice Work If You Can Get It was written by George Gershwin (1937).
What is the form of Nice Work If You Can Get It?
Nice Work If You Can Get It has 4 sections (AABA) with 34 bars in total.
How fast is Nice Work If You Can Get It played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to Nice Work If You Can Get It?
The opening bars are B7#5 E7 | A7#5 D7 | G7 C7 | A7 A#dim7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.