Jazz Changes

John Coltrane, music · Title track of his first Atlantic album as leader, recorded in New York, May 1959

Giant Steps

Giant Steps is a 16-bar tune by John Coltrane that moves through three key centers a major third apart. Players treat it as a test piece because its chords change every couple of beats, usually at a fast tempo. You will hear it on records by Coltrane, Tommy Flanagan, Gonzalo Rubalcaba, Pat Metheny and Camille Bertault.

▶ Plays the whole path in order, one recording after another.

  1. 1 Learn the song John Coltrane
  2. 2 Hear it slower John Coltrane
  3. 3 Hear the pianist return Tommy Flanagan
  4. 4 Hear it without chords Max Roach and Archie Shepp
  5. 5 Hear it sung Camille Bertault
  6. 6 Hear a new groove Pat Metheny Trio
  7. 7 Hear a piano trio Gonzalo Rubalcaba
  8. 8 Hear a recent trio Joey Alexander

How the tune works

B majorusual key
16 barsA form
B · G · E♭keys it moves between

A single 16-bar chorus with no repeated sections and no bridge. The chords pass through three key centers, B major, G major and E♭ major, and each one sits a major third below the one before. Bar 1 starts on B major (Bmaj7), and its D7 points to G major, which arrives in bar 2. The B♭7 in bar 2 points to E♭ major in bar 3. Two-chord moves such as Am7 D7, Fm7 B♭7 and C♯m7 F♯7 then lead into G, E♭ and B in turn, and the last bar, C♯m7 F♯7, leads back to B for the next chorus. Sources differ on the home key: the Weimar Jazz Database lists E♭ major, while Learn Jazz Standards and Hooktheory give B major. This page uses B major because the tune opens on a B major chord.

The changes under John Coltrane's solo on Giant Steps (1959), transcribed in the Weimar Jazz Database. Three key centers a major third apart: B, G and E♭.

Key B major
Abars 1–16
Bar 1: Bmaj7D7
Bar 2: Gmaj7B♭7
Bar 3: E♭maj7
Bar 4: Am7D7
Bar 5: Gmaj7B♭7
Bar 6: E♭maj7F♯7
Bar 7: Bmaj7
Bar 8: Fm7B♭7
Bar 9: E♭maj7
Bar 10: Am7D7
Bar 11: Gmaj7
Bar 12: C♯m7F♯7
Bar 13: Bmaj7
Bar 14: Fm7B♭7
Bar 15: E♭maj7
Bar 16: C♯m7F♯7

Use the key buttons to move the chart to the key you play in.

Source: Weimar Jazz Database: John Coltrane, Giant Steps

Listen in this order

Play all 8 on YouTube ↗

The path starts with Coltrane's May 1959 recording and a slower take from March. It then follows the changes through a pianist's 1982 return, a saxophone and drums duo, a vocalese setting, a guitar trio, a piano trio and a 2014 session.

  1. Step 1 · Learn the song Now playing

    John Coltrane 1959

    Giant Steps

    B major · 4/4 · swing · The original recording

    Listen for
    Count the 16-bar choruses. Coltrane's solo starts about 23 seconds in and runs 11 choruses, and each one moves through the same three keys, B, G and E♭. Tommy Flanagan also takes a piano solo.
    Try this
    Play three chords in a row, Bmaj7, Gmaj7 and E♭maj7, holding each for a bar, then listen for those three sounds in the opening bars of the recording. The chart writes Bmaj7 as C♭maj7. Smaller version: play only the root notes B, G and E♭.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  2. Step 2 · Hear it slower Now playing

    John Coltrane 1959

    “Giant Steps (Alternate, Take 8)”, Alternate Takes

    B major · 4/4 · swing · 290 bpm (up) · Alternate take

    Listen for
    The slower tempo gives each chord change more room than the album version does. Listen for whether the piano takes a solo; Wikipedia reports that Walton declined to solo on these takes.
    Try this
    Play along with the first two bars of the chart, Bmaj7 then D7, then Gmaj7 then B♭7, two beats per chord. Smaller version: play only the roots, B, D, G and B♭.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  3. Step 3 · Hear the pianist return Now playing

    Tommy Flanagan 1982

    Giant Steps

    The pianist returns

    Listen for
    The trio has piano, bass and drums and no saxophone. The track runs 6:14, so count how many 16-bar choruses fit.
    Try this
    Play the first four bars of the chart slowly: Bmaj7 D7, Gmaj7 B♭7, E♭maj7, then Am7 D7, giving two beats to each chord when a bar has two. Smaller version: play only the first chord of each bar.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  4. Step 4 · Hear it without chords Now playing

    Max Roach and Archie Shepp 1979

    The Long March

    Saxophone and drums only

    Listen for
    Only a tenor saxophone and drums play, so no instrument states the chords. The track runs about five and a half minutes.
    Try this
    Play the root of each chord in the first four bars of the chart on a keyboard, one note per chord, while the track plays. Smaller version: play only B, G and E♭ for the first three bars.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  5. Step 5 · Hear it sung Now playing

    Camille Bertault 2017

    “Là où tu vas”, Pas de géant

    French words to the solo

    Listen for
    A single voice sings French words to Coltrane's solo. The track runs 4:34, so count how many 16-bar choruses fit.
    Try this
    Sing the root of each chord on one syllable through the first four bars of the chart, slowly, then sing along with the recording. Smaller version: sing only B, G and E♭ for the first three bars.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  6. Step 6 · Hear a new groove Now playing

    Pat Metheny Trio 1999

    Trio 99→00

    bossa nova · Guitar trio · Bossa groove

    Listen for
    Coltrane's 1959 recording swings at a mean tempo near 290 beats per minute. This version plays over a light bossa groove, and it runs 7:54.
    Try this
    Play the first four bars of the chart slowly, one chord per bar, using the first chord of each bar: Bmaj7, Gmaj7, E♭maj7 and Am7. Smaller version: play only the root notes B, G, E♭ and A.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  7. Step 7 · Hear a piano trio Now playing

    Gonzalo Rubalcaba 1991

    The Blessing

    Piano trio

    Listen for
    A trio of piano, bass and drums, recorded in Toronto in May 1991. The track runs 5:26, so count how many 16-bar choruses fit.
    Try this
    Play bars 5 to 8 of the chart one chord at a time, slowly: Gmaj7 B♭7, E♭maj7 F♯7, Bmaj7, then Fm7 B♭7. Smaller version: play only the first chord of each bar.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

  8. Step 8 · Hear a recent trio Now playing

    Joey Alexander 2014

    My Favorite Things

    Grammy-nominated solo · Piano trio

    Listen for
    This trio plays for 10:15, a long track. Count how many 16-bar choruses fit.
    Try this
    Play the whole 16-bar chart once, slowly, using the first chord of each bar. Smaller version: play only bars 1 to 4, or sing the root of each bar.
    Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

More great versions