Giant Steps

In jazz harmony, the Coltrane changes (Coltrane Matrix or cycle, also known as chromatic third relations and multi-tonic changes) are a harmonic progression variation using substitute chords over common jazz chord progressions.

B D7 G Bb7 Eb Am D7 G Bb7 Eb F#7 B . . .

Giant Steps is in the Real Book - Volume 1 — Sixth Edition book.

MuseScore Resources

Giant Steps — Solo Ukulele Arrangement - Leadsheet with Ukulele TAB and one chorus of Paul Chambers bass line from the original recording.

MuseScore is a FREE Open Source and the World’s most popular music notation software with a lot of great sources of scores, tutorials, and reference material. I use it on my iMac and Linux system. Finally get to bag the subscription for Sibelius.

Musescore files can be played back as an aide in learning a song or part.

The song title comes from the relatively giant leaps between the roots of consecutive chords. From a transcription, one can easily infer that many of these are upward leaps of minor thirds, but they can just as easily be inverted as descending major sixths, the latter approach best accentuating the disconcerting nature of the progression.

John Coltrane was a big fan of the ukulele and wrote this song on the ukulele. A great song to play on the `uke. OK - maybe he wasn't a fan and or wrote it on `uke, but this is a cool song to attempt on the ukulele.

This is not a song typically associated with the ukulele. And, all the reason to play it. It definitely gets a reaction from fellow musicians familiar with the song. Chord-wise it is really not that hard to play. Tempo wise it's a bear to solo over — and I'm still working on that one.

Here is my take arranged for low "G" C tuning.

If you run out of frets on a smaller size ukulele for the Eb6/9 in measure 15 then lower it one octave to 0 0 1 1. Even measures 14 and 15 can be played one octave lower and still sound fine.

Video

• John Coltrane
• Piano class: Giant Steps with Barry Harris
• The most feared song in jazz, explained
• Soloing On Giant Steps Made Easy! Coltrane Changes Demystified - Rick Beato
• WidipediA: Coltrane Changes

Solo Tips

Take it SLOW!!!. Really, only practice improvising over the changes at a comfortable tempo. And, really know the changes – the Chords ( see the Roadmap below ). The tricking sections are the Major Thirds, V I modulations. The first is B G Eb, an Augmented triad with each tonic chord approached with it's V, the dominant chord. The next Major Thirds, V I modulation is connected with it's II V for G Eb B. Then it's a bunch of II V I common progressions modulation back to the key sof the songs: B Major. All the chords are all 4-part chords. I only show the basic harmony, the triads and 7th chords.

B D7 G Bb7 Eb Am D7 G Bb7 Eb F#7 B

The II V I cells after the first eight bars are also keys centers separated by major thirds, an augmented triad for: Eb G B. Then a turn-back to the top.

The Harmonic Rhythm

This the frequency of the chord changes.

| 2 2 | 2 2 | 4 | 2 2 | 2 2 | 2 2 | 4 | 2 2 | 4 | 2 2 | 4 | 2 2 | 4 | 2 2 | 4 | 2 2 |