ENDEIT

Standards · 1929

S'posin' chords & key

Paul Denniker · Lyrics: Andy Razaf

Key
B♭ major
Form
ABAC
Bars
32
Groove
Medium swing
Time signature
4/4
Year
1929

“S'posin'” is a jazz standard by Paul Denniker from 1929. It is usually played in B♭ major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar ABAC form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres B♭ major, G minor and E♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 4 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major

A
B♭maj7
B♭maj7
Cm7
F7
B♭maj7
B♭maj7
Cm7
F7
B
B♭maj7
Am7♭5D7♯9
Gm7
Gm7
C7
C7
Cm7
F7
A
B♭maj7
B♭maj7
Cm7
F7
B♭maj7
Fm7B♭7
E♭6
A♭7
C
Gm7
Em7♭5E♭7
D7
Gm7
B♭maj7G7♯9
Cm7F7
B♭6
Cm7F7

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

Harmonic analysis

6Major ii–V–I
1Minor ii–V–i
9ii–V moves
1Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
16Different chords

Most used chords

  • B♭maj7×9
  • Cm7×6
  • F7×6
  • Gm7×4
  • C7×2
  • Am7♭5×1

Key centres reached by ii–V

B♭ major, G minor and E♭ major

Characteristics

  • ABAC song form

Recorded on these albums

1940 Star Dust
Bing Crosby
1961 Sinatra’s Swingin’ Session!!!
Frank Sinatra · “S’posin’”
1966 The Dean Martin TV Show
Dean Martin · “S’posin’”
1999 Frank Sinatra Sings Sy Oliver Arrangements
Frank Sinatra

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • S'posin Bill Russo And His Orchestra · Shelby Davis · P. Denniker archive.org ↗
  • S'POSIN BILL RUSSO And His Orchestra · SHELBY DAVIS · P. Denniker archive.org ↗
  • S'Posin' Jack Leonard · Razaf · Denniker · 1947 archive.org ↗
  • S'POSIN' MARY LOU WILLIAMS and her MODERN MUSIC · Billy Taylor · Willie… · 1951 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Strike Up The Band 41% George Gershwin E♭ major ABCD · 32 Up-tempo swing
The Good Life 38% Sacha Distel A♭ major AB · 32 Ballad
The Masquerade Is Over 36% Allie Wrubel E♭ major AAB · 44 Ballad
Billy Boy 35% Traditional C major AABA · 56 Medium-up swing
Don't Worry 'Bout Me 34% Rube Bloom A♭ major AB · 32 Ballad
Ballade 32% Charlie Parker F major AABA · 32 Ballad
Remember 31% Irving Berlin F major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Why Do I Love You? 31% Jerome Kern A♭ major AA · 32 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is S'posin' in?

S'posin' is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.

Who wrote S'posin'?

S'posin' was written by Paul Denniker (1929).

What is the form of S'posin'?

S'posin' has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is S'posin' played?

The usual groove is Medium swing.

What are the chord changes to S'posin'?

The opening bars are Bbmaj7 | Bbmaj7 | Cm7 | F7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.