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 16 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — F minor

V
FA♭dim7
Gm7C7
F/AA♭dim7
Gm7C7
A♭Bdim7
B♭m7E♭7
A♭/CBdim7
B♭m7E♭7
C6D♭dim7
Dm7G7
C6D♭dim7
Dm7G7
Am7
D7
G7
C7
A
Fm
Fm
Fm
Fm
C7♭9
C7♭9
1.
FmFm/E♭
D♭7C7
2.
Fm
FmF7♭9
B
B♭m7
F7
B♭m7
E♭7
A♭
E♭7
A♭
D♭7C7
A
Fm
Fm
Fm
Fm
C7♭9
C7♭9
FmFm/E♭
D♭7C7

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

Harmonic analysis

4Major ii–V–I
0Minor ii–V–i
8ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
2Dominant chains
22Different chords

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”
1952 Easy Does It!
Benny Goodman · “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”
1962 “Comin’ Home Baby!”
Mel Tormé · “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”
1987 Remember: Michael Feinstein Sings Irving Berlin
Michael Feinstein · “Puttin' on the Ritz / Slumming on Park Avenue”
1988 Cheek To Cheek
Fred Astaire
1991 A Fine Romance
Fred Astaire & Ginger Rogers · “Puttin' on the Ritz”
1995 The Street of Dreams
Joey DeFrancesco · “Puttin' on the Ritz”
1999 Puttin’ On the Ritz
Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli · “Puttin’ On the Ritz”
2001 Sweet & Lowdown
Dave Van Ronk
2007 The Baddest B-3 Burner in the Business: The Street of Dreams
Joey DeFrancesco · “Puttin' on the Ritz”
2013 Steppin’ Out
Herb Alpert featuring Lani Hall · “Puttin’ On the Ritz”
2014 Season Two
Pomplamoose · “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.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
For Minors Only 20% Jimmy Heath C minor AA · 24 Up-tempo swing

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.