A bebop jazz standard written by John Coltrane in 1959. It’s characterized by an uncommon, complex and rapidly changing chord progression, with the tone center constantly shifting between B, G, and Eb. making improvising over it a real challenge.
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#This file is the author's own work and represents their interpretation of the #
#song. You may only use this file for private study, scholarship, or research. #
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From: parker_b%aplvax.span AT Fedex.Msfc.Nasa.Gov
Here's a chord-melody arrangement of the head to ``Giant Steps''
by John Coltrane. Most of the [[chord voicing|chord voicings]] have been opened to
mostly fourth, tritone, and fifth intervals (so-called ``quartal
harmony''), giving a very nice ambiguous sound. These voicings are
easy to finger on the guitar and sound good. I give the chord names
in two forms: a name for a simple ``closed'' voicing, (top) and a name
for the more open or extended voicing (bottom).
Giant Steps by John Coltrane
harm. by Bo Parker (parker_b%aplvax.span@fedex.msfc.nasa.gov)
Bmaj7 D7 Gmaj7 Bb7 Ebmaj7 Am7 D7
B6/9 D6/9 Gmaj7 Bb13 Eb6/9 Am9 D6/9
E--14---10----7----------6-------7----5---|
B--14---10----7-----8----6-------5----5---|
G--13----9----7-----7----5-------5----4---|
D--13----9----5-----6----5-------5----4---|
A-----------------------------------------|
E-----------------------------------------|
Gmaj7 Bb7 Ebmaj7 F#7 Bmaj7 Fm7 Bb7
G6/9 Bb6/9 Ebmaj7 F#13 B6/9 Fm9 Bb9
E--10----6-----3-----------2------3----1--|
B--10----6-----3------4----2------1----1--|
G---9----5-----3------3----1------1----1--|
D---9----5-----1------2----1------1----0--|
A-----------------------------------------|
E-----------------------------------------|
Ebmaj7 Am7 D7 Gmaj7 C#m7 F#7 Bmaj7
Eb6/9 Am9 D6/9 G6/9 C#m9 F#9 B6/9
E--6------7---5----10----11---9-----14---|
B--6------5---5----10-----9---9-----14---|
G--5------5---4-----9-----9---9-----13---|
D--5------5---4-----9-----9---8-----13---|
A----------------------------------------|
E----------------------------------------|
Fm7 Bb7 Ebmaj7 C#m7 F#7
Fm9 Bb13b9 Eb6/9 C#m11 F#13 repeat from beginning
E--15---15-----18-----14----14---|
B--13---12-----18-----16----16---|
G--13---13-----17-----16----15---|
D--13---12-----17-----14----14---|
A--------------------------------|
E--------------------------------|
To tie in with the discussion of picking technique, I pick these as
block chords using either all four fingers or the first three fingers
(no thumb, no arpeggiation). When I pick stuff like this, I do not
anchor my right hand at all, and I play over the sound hole. I can't
really solo over these changes(!), but it's fun just to play the head.
Enjoy
From: tgannon AT charlie.usd.edu (spideir)
GIANT STEPS (John Coltrane): melody chords to "Head" chorus
--guitar arrangement: tcg, 1987
--4/4 // BM // Allegro (pretty quick)
--head so "jagged" and wide in its range, melody at times had to be
transposed up/down an octave. . . .
--fingerstyle or pick-&-3-fingers easiest; plectrum strums'll work
if yu' deaden "x" strings with sides of adjacent fingers. . . .
--note durations:
/ quarter note
/- eighth note /-. dotted eighth
/= sixteenth note
/_/_/_/ tied notes
[hey, _I_ understand it!--I think. . . .]
BM7 D7 GM7 Bb[7/]6 Eb[M7] Am9 D9
x_x___ x____x _x__xx x__oxx _x__xx xx____ xx____
2 |o|||o 3 ||||o| 3 o||||| 1 |o|||| 1 ||o||| 5 ||ooo| 4 ||o|||
|||o|| ||o||| ||oo|| |||||| |||||| |||||| |||ooo
||||o| |o|o|| |||||| ||o||| o||o|| |||||o ||||||
/ / / /-. /=_/_/ / /
GM7 Bb7/6 EbM7 F#7/6 BM7 Fm9 Bb7
x_x___ xx____ x____x x____x x_x___ x____x x____x
10 |o|||o 6 ||o||o 6 |o|||| 2 ||o||| 2 |o|||o 6 ||o||| 6 ||o|o|
|||o|| |||o|| |||o|| |||o|| |||o|| |||||| |||o||
||||o| ||||o| ||o|o| |o||o| ||||o| |o|oo| |o||||
/ / / /-. /=_/_/ / /-.
EbM7 Am9 D9 GM7 C#m9 F#7/6
x_x___ xx____ xx____ x_x___ x____x x____x
6 |o|||o 5 ||ooo| 4 ||o||| 10 |o|||o 2 ||o||| 2 ||o|||
|||o|| |||||| |||ooo |||o|| |||||| |||o||
||||o| |||||o |||||| ||||o| |o|oo| |o||o|
/=_/_/ / /-. /=_/_/ / /-.
BM7 Fm9 Bb7/6 EbM7 F#7/6
x_x___ x____x xx____ x_x___ x____x
2 |o|||o 6 ||o||| 6 ||o||| 6 |o|||o 2 ||o||o
|||o|| |||||| |||o|| |||o|| |||o|| D.C.
||||o| |o|oo| |o||o| ||||o| ||||o|
/=_/_/ / /-. /=_/_/ / /
*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*
| Thomas C. Gannon | tgannon AT charlie.usd.edu | U of SoDak (Vermillion) |
* ------------------------------- _-^-_ ------------------------------- *
| "--If I decide to practice a / o )=\ slight movement from right |
* to left . . . or from left { /===} to right . . . it's *
| nobody's business but my \ (=o=/ own." (_A_Day_for_Eeyore_) |
*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===* ^-_=^ *===*===*===*===*===*===*===*===*
This is what John Coltrane’s landmark tune and solo look like when they come to life on paper. Apologies to all the saxophonists out there who are annoyed to find that this is a transcription for piano. (more)