Standards · 1940
Yardbird Suite chords & key
- Key
- C major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium-up swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
- Year
- 1940
“Yardbird Suite” is a jazz standard by Charlie Parker from 1940. It is usually played in C major as a medium-up swing, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 12 different chords and moves between the key centres D minor, C major and E minor. In this atlas it appears in 1 transcribed solo.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — C major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- B♭7×6
- A7×6
- G7×6
- C6×5
- D7×4
- Dm7×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
D minor, C major and E minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"Yardbird Suite" is a bebop standard composed by jazz saxophonist Charlie Parker in 1946. The title combines Parker's nickname "Yardbird" (often shortened to "Bird") and a colloquial use of the classical music term "suite" (in a manner similar to such jazz titles as Lester Young's "Midnight Symphony" and Duke Ellington's "Ebony Rhapsody"). The composition uses an 32-bar AABA form. The "graceful, hip melody, became something of an anthem for beboppers."
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Transcribed solos on Yardbird Suite
| Charlie Parker alto saxophone | 210 BPM |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- Yardbird Suite Charlie Parker Septet · Charlie Parker · Lucky Thompson · Miles… · 1946 archive.org ↗
- YARDBIRD SUITE CHARLIE PARKER SEPTET · Charlie Parker · Lucky Thompson · Miles… · 1946 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Rosetta 46% | F major |
| I'm Getting Sentimental Over You 38% | F major |
| This Is All I Ask 31% | F major |
| Am I Blue? 30% | F major |
| It Never Entered My Mind 30% | F major |
| Too Young To Go Steady 30% | F major |
| Hocus-Pocus 25% | F major |
| A Fine Romance 24% | C major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Yardbird Suite in?
Yardbird Suite is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote Yardbird Suite?
Yardbird Suite was written by Charlie Parker (1940).
What is the form of Yardbird Suite?
Yardbird Suite has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Yardbird Suite played?
The usual groove is Medium-up swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 210 BPM.
What are the chord changes to Yardbird Suite?
The opening bars are C6 | Fm7 Bb7 | C7 Bb7 | A7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.