Jazz Changes

Richard Rodgers, music · Lorenz Hart, lyrics · 1934

Blue Moon

Blue Moon is a 1934 song by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. Its recurring harmony gives players a clear framework for comparing different interpretations. It appears in vocal recordings, instrumental jazz performances, and films.

E♭ major · 32 bars · A A B A form · how it works

Listen in this order

Begin with two vocal readings, then compare piano trios, trumpet settings, solo guitar, and a quartet with percussion. Use the exercises to explore the melody and basic accompaniment.

8 recordings, 1951 to 2011 · Play all 8 on YouTube ↗

  1. Wynton Kelly1951
  2. Billie Holiday1952
  3. Oscar Peterson1952 · Contemporary jazz
  4. Clifford Brown1955 · Bebop
  5. Ella Fitzgerald1956 · Vocal
  6. Art Blakey1962 · Hard bop
  7. Joe Pass1992 · Bebop
  8. Ahmad Jamal2011

Step 1 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard

Follow the vocal melody.

Billie Holiday · 1952

Billie Holiday / Solitude

Listen for
Follow Holiday’s voice, then listen for Peterson’s piano.
Try this
Play the melody once, and leave a breath between phrases.
Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

Step 2 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard

Compare two vocal readings.

Ella Fitzgerald · 1956 · Vocal

Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Rodgers and Hart Song Book

Listen for
Compare Fitzgerald’s voice and orchestral accompaniment with Holiday’s small group.
Try this
Play one phrase twice, changing only where the breath falls.
Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

Step 3 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard

Separate melody and accompaniment.

Oscar Peterson · 1952 · Contemporary jazz

Oscar Peterson Plays Pretty

Listen for
Listen for piano, guitar, and bass as three separate parts.
Try this
Play the melody while a partner plays one bass note at each chord change.
Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

Step 4 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard

Follow a trio with drums.

Wynton Kelly · 1951

Goodbye / Blue Moon

Listen for
Compare Kelly’s piano, Pettiford’s bass, and Abrams’s drums with Peterson’s guitar trio.
Try this
Play the melody with a metronome, and count each eight-bar section aloud before starting it.
Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

Step 5 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard

Follow an instrumental melody.

Clifford Brown · 1955 · Bebop

Clifford Brown with Strings

Listen for
Follow Brown’s trumpet against the strings.
Try this
Play one melody phrase over a held chord, and choose a clear place to breathe.
Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

Step 6 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard

Follow the trumpet in a live performance.

Art Blakey · 1962 · Hard bop

Three Blind Mice

Listen for
Listen for Hubbard’s trumpet in the live Jazz Messengers recording.
Try this
Play the melody once and mark each return of the A section on a blank 32-bar grid.
Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

Step 7 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard

Hear one instrument carry the song.

Joe Pass · 1992 · Bebop, Swing

Songs for Ellen

Listen for
Follow Pass’s acoustic guitar through the melody and accompaniment.
Try this
Alternate one melody phrase with its basic chords instead of playing both together.
Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

Step 8 of 8 Now playing✓ Heard

Separate drums from percussion.

Ahmad Jamal · 2011

Blue Moon

Listen for
Listen separately for Riley’s drums and Badrena’s percussion around Jamal’s piano.
Try this
Keep one simple pulse while a partner plays the melody, then exchange roles.
Apple Music ↗YouTube ↗

More great versions

1 more, from 1935 to 1935. Tap a cover to play it here.

  1. Benny Goodman1935 · Swing

How the tune works

E♭ majorusual key
32 barsA · A · B · A form
E♭ major → G♭ major → B♭ major → E♭ majorkey centers

Two eight-bar A sections establish E♭ major. The eight-bar bridge moves briefly through G♭ major and B♭ major before the final A section returns home. These key areas summarize the form rather than every passing chord.

Play the changes

E♭ major
Open in iReal Pro ↗
A10 bars
E♭maj7Cm7
Fm7B♭7
E♭maj7Cm7
Fm7B♭7
D♭7C7
B7B♭7
1.E♭maj7Cm7
Fm7B♭7
2.E♭maj7A♭7
Gm7♭5C7♭9
B8 bars
Fm7B♭7
E♭6Cm7
Fm7B♭7
E♭6A7♯11
A♭m7D♭7
G♭maj7
B♭/FF7
Fm7B♭7
A8 bars
E♭maj7Cm7
Fm7B♭7
E♭maj7Cm7
Fm7B♭7
D♭7C7
B7B♭7
E♭maj7Cm7
Fm7B♭7

Chart from iReal Pro's Jazz 1460 playlist, contributed by its users.