Prerequisites

(walking bass on rhythm changes)

It is obviously important that you know your functional harmony, understand-

ing chords, scales and how to construct basic walking bass lines. There is
plenty of good material out there to help you.

Here is how I would start learning the basics of Rhythm Changes:

1. Listen to the music (check recommended playlist)

2. Play root notes in a 2 feel and sing or hum I Got Rhythm, no matter
how bad your singing.

3. Walk quarter notes - same 2 root notes on each chord

4. Walk playing the root and third of each chord

5. Walk playing the root and 5th of each chord.

6. Transcribe bass lines and incorporate them into your playing (check
playlist)

The following chart has the basic rhythm changes chords/root movement
with some slight alterations above and below. The ‘I Got Rhythm’ tag is rarely
played but important to know.
 Basic Rhythm Changes chords
with simple alternate changes

[A] form = 32 bars AABA

G‹7 C7 C©º D‹7 G‹7 C7 B7

?4
B¨ G7 C‹7 F7 B¨ G7 C‹7 F7
4 Bº

1.
F‹7 B¨7 E¨‹7 A¨7
? B¨7 /D E¨Œ„Š7 Eº D‹7/F G7 C‹7 F7 ™™ ü†
/A¨ E¨Œ„Š7/G A¨7/G¨

2. [B]
C‹7
? F7 F7 B¨ D7 G7

[A] G‹7 C7 C©º

?
C7 F7 B¨ G7 C‹7 F7
Bº

D‹7 G‹7 C7 B7 F‹7 B¨7 E¨‹7 A¨7

? B¨7 /D E¨Œ„Š7 Eº
B¨ G7 C‹7 F7
/A¨ E¨Œ„Š7/G A¨7/G¨

C‹7
?
F7 F7 B¨
™™ ü†

I got Rhythm Tag

? F7 /E¨ D‹7 G7 C‹7 F7 B¨

 Recommended
Rhythm Changes Listening
(by bass player)

Walter Page - Lester Leaps In (Count Basis, Kansas City Seven)

John Williams - Squatty Roo (Johnny Hodges, Dance Bash)
Jimmy Blanton - Cotton Tail (Duke Ellington, Blanton-Webster Band)
Slam Stewart - I Got Rhythm (Duo with Don Byas from the Town Hall Con
cert 1945)
Charles Mingus - Move (Red Norvo Trio, The Savoy Sessions)
Leroy Vinegar - Who’s Got Rhythm (Gerry Mulligan meets Ben Webster)
Percy Heath - Oleo (Bags Groove, Miles Davis)
Doug Watkins - Wells Fargo (John Coltrane, The Complete mainstream ses-
sion)
Israel Crosby - Squatty Roo (Ahmads Blues, Ahmad Jamal)
Sam Jones - Oleo (Everybody digs Bill Evans)
John Ore - Rhythm-a-ning (Criss Cross, Thelonious Monk)
Larry Gales - Rhythm-a-ning (Live at the It Club, Thelonious Monk)
Paul Chambers - Oleo (Relaxin’ With the Miles Davis Quintet)
Tommy Bryant - I Got Rhythm (Jo Jones Trio)
Ray Brown - Cool Walk (This is Ray Brown)
Henry Grimes - Oleo (Sonny Rollins Trio, Live in Europe)
George Duvivier - Shaw Nuff (Swinging with Bud, Bud Powell)
Paul Chambers - Oleo (Miles Davis Live from Olympia Theatre, Paris - March
1960)
Ron Carter - The Theme (Live at the Plugged Nickel, Chicago, IL (1st Set) -
December 23, 1965, Miles Davis)
Richard Davis - Tiptoe (Thad Jone, Mel Lewis Consummation)
Reginald Veal - Hesitation (The Dark Keys, Branford Marsalis)
Charlie Haden - Passport (The Montreal Tapes)