Why know the forms
A standard is a piece from the common jazz repertoire (many come from Broadway musicals and the cinema of the 1920s–'50s, others are jazz compositions). Musicians recognize them by form and chord progression: learning the families of forms lets you memorize hundreds of tunes.
The main forms
| Form | Bars | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| AABA (song form) | 32 (8+8+8+8) | I Got Rhythm, Satin Doll, Take the A Train, Misty, So What |
| ABAC | 32 (8+8+8+8) | All of Me, There Will Never Be Another You, Out of Nowhere |
| AABC / ABCD | 32 | Autumn Leaves (AABC) |
| Extended AABA | 36 (8+8+8+12) | All the Things You Are |
| Blues | 12 | Billie's Bounce, Blue Monk, Straight, No Chaser |
| Minor blues | 12 (or 24) | Mr. P.C., Equinox, Footprints |
| 16 bars | 16 | Lady Bird, Watermelon Man (16-bar blues) |
| Modal | variable | So What, Impressions, Maiden Voyage |
AABA: the American song
- A (8): the theme, often with a final turnaround (I – vi – ii – V).
- A (8): repetition with a concluding cadence.
- B (bridge, 8): contrast, often on the IV or a chain of dominants (rhythm changes: III7 – VI7 – II7 – V7).
- A (8): return.
A chorus = one complete pass through the form; solos are taken over a number of choruses.
Harmonic families
- Rhythm changes: Anthropology, Oleo, Moose the Mooche, Cotton Tail, Rhythm-a-Ning.
- Blues: jazz blues, Bird blues, minor blues.
- Tunes with ii–Vs in many keys: All the Things You Are, Cherokee, Stella by Starlight.
- Relative major/minor: Autumn Leaves, Fly Me to the Moon, Blue Bossa.
- Coltrane changes: Giant Steps, Countdown, 26-2.
- Modal: So What, Impressions, Maiden Voyage, Little Sunflower.
Contrafacts
A contrafact is a new melody written over the chords of an existing tune. Bebop produced a great many:
| Contrafact | Original tune |
|---|---|
| Donna Lee (Parker/Davis) | (Back Home Again in) Indiana |
| Ornithology (Parker/Harris) | How High the Moon |
| Anthropology, Oleo | I Got Rhythm |
| Scrapple from the Apple (Parker) | Honeysuckle Rose (A) + bridge of I Got Rhythm |
| Countdown (Coltrane) | Tune Up (Miles Davis) |
| 26-2 (Coltrane) | Confirmation (Parker) |
The original melodies were often protected by copyright, the progressions were not: writing a new melody made it possible to record without paying royalties.
How to study them (method)
- Listen to at least three versions (vocal, instrumental, modern).
- Analyze the form and write the “harmonic summary” (e.g. A: I – vi – ii – V; B: III7 – VI7 – II7 – V7).
- Learn the guide tones and the melody by heart.
- Transpose into at least three keys.
- Compose a contrafact of 8 bars over the A section.
For the producer
Jazz forms are a goldmine of ready-made progressions for lo-fi beats, neo-soul and sophisticated pop: take 8 bars of a standard (chords cannot be copyrighted), change the tempo and groove, and write a new melody.
Related
Binary, ternary and AABA form, rhythm changes, the jazz blues, Bird blues, minor blues, jazz harmonic analysis, Coltrane changes.