Standards
Puttin' On The Ritz chords & key
- Key
- F minor
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“Puttin' On The Ritz” is a jazz standard by Irvin Berlin. It is usually played in F minor as a medium swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 4 major ii–V–I cadences, uses 22 different chords and moves between the key centres A♭ major, F major and C major. In this atlas it appears on 8 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — F minor
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Fm×16
- C7×6
- C7♭9×6
- B♭m7×4
- E♭7×4
- A♭×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
A♭ major, F major and C major
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1946 | Blue Skies Bing Crosby · “Puttin’ On the Ritz” |
| 1953 | The Astaire Story Fred Astaire · “Puttin’ On the Ritz” |
| 1958 | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “Puttin’ On the Ritz” |
| 1981 | Top Hat (Songs Made Famous By Fred Astaire) Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli - Arranged And Conducted By Nelson Riddle · “Puttin’ On the Ritz” |
| 1988 | Cheek To Cheek Fred Astaire |
| 1991 | A Fine Romance Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers · “Puttin' on the Ritz” |
| 1999 | Puttin’ On the Ritz Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli · “Puttin’ On the Ritz” |
| — | The Irving Berlin Songbook Fred Astaire · “Puttin’ On the Ritz” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| For Minors Only 20% | C minor |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Puttin' On The Ritz in?
Puttin' On The Ritz is usually played in F minor. For B♭ instruments that is G minor, for E♭ instruments D minor.
Who wrote Puttin' On The Ritz?
Puttin' On The Ritz was written by Irvin Berlin.
What is the form of Puttin' On The Ritz?
Puttin' On The Ritz has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Puttin' On The Ritz played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to Puttin' On The Ritz?
The opening bars are F Abdim7 | Gm7 C7 | F/A Abdim7 | Gm7 C7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.