Rhythm Changes - Part II
The chord changes for the song "I've Got Rhythm" have graced thousands of songs. Some well known, some not. Players like Django Reinhardt and Charlie Parker wrote many melodies over the changes and then gave the songs new titles. Even today musicians use these eternally popular changes as the basis for innovative lead lines.
What's great about these chord changes is they're the heart and soul of jazz and they're repeated in various parts throughout the jazz fake books. And while you won't find many mandolin books with these changes, there's a great resource by jazz artist Jamey Abersold entitled "Rhythm Changes in 12 keys." Highly recommended and easy to find (usually).
Below I've listed the chords used. Further down there's a chord chart that'll show you where they go and a simple exercise to go over the chords. This is not particularly a solo but an exercise to demonstrate the movement around the chords. We're in Bb which may be a new adventure for some, but don't fret (I've always wanted to say that...). So without further rambling, enjoy!
Bb6 Bdim Cm7 F7 --------------------------|-------------------------- --------------------------|-------------------------- -3--1--0---------0--3--6--|--5--1---------------1--4- ----------5---4-----------|--------5--3---2--5------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| Dm7 G7 Cm7 F7 --------------------------|-------------------------- ----0--3--1---2-----------|---------------0---------- -3---------------6--3--0--|-----1--5--6------3--2--1- --------------------------|--5----------------------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| Bb6 Bdim Cm7 F7 --------------------------|-------------------------- --------------------------|-------------------------- -0--3--0---------0--3--6--|--5--1------------3--2--3- ----------5---4-----------|--------5--3---2---------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| Cm7 F7 Bb6 --------------------------|-------------------------|| --------------------------|-----------------------o-|| -2--3--2--3---4--1--------|-----------------------o-|| --------------------4--2--|--3----------------------|| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| | BRIDGE--- *see explanation and suggested fingers D7 -2--1--0------------------|-------------------------- ----------6---5--4--3--2--|--0--------0---3--6--5--3- --------------------------|-----5--4----------------- --------------------------|-------------------------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| 2 1 0 4 3 2 2 1 0 3 2 0 2 4 3 2 G7 --------------------------|-------------------------- -2--1--0------------------|---------------------2--5- ----------6---5--4--3--2--|--0--------0---3--6------- --------------------------|-----5--4----------------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| 2 1 0 4 3 2 2 1 0 3 2 0 2 4 1 3 C7 -0------------------------|-------------------------- ----6--5--4---3--2--1--0--|---------------1--4--3--1- --------------------------|--5--3--2--5-------------- --------------------------|-------------------------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| 0 4 3 2 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 3 1 3 2 1 F7 --------------------------|-------------------------- -0------------------------|-------------------------- ----6--5--4---3--2--1--0--|------------------0--1--2- --------------------------|--5--3--2--3---5---------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| 0 4 3 2 2 1 1 0 3 2 1 2 3 0 1 2 --end of bridge-- Bb6 Bdim Cm7 F7 --------------------------|-------------------------- --------------------------|-------------------------- -3--1--0---------0--3--6--|--5--1---------------1--4- ----------5---4-----------|--------5--3---2--5------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| Dm7 G7 Cm7 F7 --------------------------|-------------------------- ----0--3--1---2-----------|---------------0---------- -3---------------6--3--0--|-----1--5--6------3--2--1- --------------------------|--5----------------------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| Bb6 Bdim Cm7 F7 --------------------------|-------------------------- --------------------------|-------------------------- -0--3--0---------0--3--6--|--5--1------------3--2--3- ----------5---4-----------|--------5--3---2---------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| Cm7 F7 Bb6 F7 --------------------------|-------------------------- --------------------------|-------------------------- -2--3--2--3---4--1--------|------------------0--1--2- --------------------4--2--|--3--0--2--3---5---------- |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__| |__|__|__|
The inspiration for this bridge is taken from the David Baker's "How to Play Bebop - vol 1." Although the title denotes bebop it's a good lesson in jazz basics and definitely a great resource, as is the Jamey Abersold series rhythm changes books. Highly recommended.
You may find the bridge difficult because you'll have to make some decision about which fingers to slide since we're essentially playing chromatic in parts. I've added some suggested fingers that work for me but feel free to test your own.
