Standards
Serpent's Tooth chords & key
- Key
- B♭ major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium-up swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“Serpent's Tooth” is a jazz standard by Miles Davis. Most bands play it in B♭ major, medium-up swing; the tune runs 32 bars in AABA form. Harmonically it contains 1 major ii–V–I cadence and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres C minor and B♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 1 album track.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- B♭maj7×8
- E♭maj7×8
- Cm7×4
- Dm7×4
- Bdim7×3
- D♭dim7×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
C minor and B♭ major
Characteristics
- AABA song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1956 | Collectors’ Items Miles Davis · “Serpents Tooth (take 1)” |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| A Fine Romance 22% | C major |
| Moonlight Becomes You 20% | F major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Serpent's Tooth in?
Serpent's Tooth is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.
Who wrote Serpent's Tooth?
Serpent's Tooth was written by Miles Davis.
What is the form of Serpent's Tooth?
Serpent's Tooth has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Serpent's Tooth played?
The usual groove is Medium-up swing.
What are the chord changes to Serpent's Tooth?
The opening bars are Bbmaj7 Bdim7 | Cm7 Dbdim7 | Dm7 D7#5 | Ebmaj7 Abmaj7#11. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.