ENDEIT

Standards · 1927

Thou Swell chords & key

Richard Rodgers · Lyrics: Lorenz Hart

Key
E♭ major
Form
ABAC
Bars
32
Groove
Medium-up swing
Time signature
4/4
Year
1927

“Thou Swell” is a jazz standard by Richard Rodgers from 1927. It is usually played in E♭ major as a medium-up swing, and the 32-bar ABAC form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 5 major ii–V–I cadences and 5 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major, F minor, G minor and A♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 7 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
Fm7
B♭7
Fm7
B♭7
E♭maj7
A♭7
E♭maj7
Am7♭5D7♭9
B
Gm7C7
Fm7B♭7
E♭maj7
B♭m7E♭7
A♭6G7
Cm7F7
B♭7
Gm7C7
A
Fm7
B♭7
Fm7
B♭7
E♭maj7
A♭7
E♭maj7
Am7♭5D7♭9
C
Gm7C7
Fm7B♭7
D♭7♯11
C7
Fm7
B♭7
E♭6
E♭6

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

Harmonic analysis

5Major ii–V–I
5Minor ii–V–i
14ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
1Dominant chains
16Different chords

Most used chords

  • B♭7×8
  • Fm7×7
  • E♭maj7×5
  • C7×4
  • Gm7×3
  • A♭7×2

Key centres reached by ii–V

E♭ major, F minor, G minor and A♭ major

Characteristics

  • ABAC song form

History

"Thou Swell" is a 1927 show tune in popular-song style that became a jazz standard.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Recorded on these albums

1954 Oscar Peterson Plays Richard Rodgers
Oscar Peterson
1956 Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book
Ella Fitzgerald
1959 Oscar Peterson Plays the Richard Rodgers Songbook
Oscar Peterson
1977 Tony Bennett Sings... More Great Rodgers & Hart
Tony Bennett
1978 Tea for Two
Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli
1988 Menuhin & Grappelli Play Berlin, Kern, Porter & Rodgers and Hart
Yehudi Menuhin & Stéphane Grappelli
1996 How High the Moon
Ella Fitzgerald

Historic 78 rpm recordings

  • Thou Swell Tut Soper · Baby Dodds · Rodgers · Hart · 1944 archive.org ↗
  • Thou Swell Hampton Hawes Trio · Hampton Hawes · Joe Mondragon · Shelly Manne ·… · 1952 archive.org ↗

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Samba De Orfeu 40% Luiz Bonfa C major AAB · 40 Bossa nova
Rockin' Chair 32% Hoagy Carmichael E♭ major ABA · 32 Medium swing
All God's Chillun Got Rhythm 30% Kahn-Kaper F major ABAC · 32 Medium-up swing
When You're Smilin' 29% Shay - Fisher - Goodwin B♭ major AB · 32 Medium swing
Billy Boy 28% Traditional C major AABA · 56 Medium-up swing
I See Your Face Before Me 28% Arthur Schwartz E♭ major ABAC · 32 Ballad
Tangerine 28% Victor Schertzinger F major ABAC · 32 Medium swing
How Are Things In Glocca Morra 27% Burton Lane F major AAB · 30 Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is Thou Swell in?

Thou Swell is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Thou Swell?

Thou Swell was written by Richard Rodgers (1927).

What is the form of Thou Swell?

Thou Swell has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Thou Swell played?

The usual groove is Medium-up swing.

What are the chord changes to Thou Swell?

The opening bars are Fm7 | Bb7 | Fm7 | Bb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.