Giant Steps
Three keys, equally spaced, and a tune that never sits still. John Coltrane's Giant Steps jumps between B, G and E flat, three key centres a major third apart: together they form an augmented triad, a perfect equilateral triangle on the circle. Each new key opens through its own dominant seventh, D7 to G, B flat 7 to E flat, F sharp 7 to B, so no key feels like home for long. Play the opening changes slowly, then look back at the whole Jazz Harmony 2 module.
In this lesson you'll
- Find the three key centres of Giant Steps, B, G and E flat, and hear that each is a major third (four half steps) from the next: an augmented triad, an equilateral triangle on the circle.
- Open each key with its own dominant seventh, D7 → Gmaj7, B♭7 → E♭maj7, F♯7 → Bmaj7, and spot the two ii – V – Is in the opening (Am7 D7 → G, Fm7 B♭7 → E♭).
- Play Bmaj7, Gmaj7 and E♭maj7 and their dominants slowly, then the opening changes at a slow tempo, following the key around the triangle, and play along.
Music in this lesson
- Giant StepsJohn Coltrane · recorded 1959, released 1960
Remember
B, G and E flat are each a major third apart: 4 + 4 + 4 = 12 half steps, so they split the octave into three equal parts, an augmented triad and a perfect equilateral triangle on the circle (and still a triangle on the circle of fifths).
Each new key is reached through its own dominant seventh, a fifth above it, one step around the circle of fifths: D7 → G, B♭7 → E♭, F♯7 → B; two of the doors are ii – V – I (Am7 D7 → G, Fm7 B♭7 → E♭).
Because the keys are evenly spaced, no key feels like home for long and the harmony keeps spinning; at its very fast tempo the tune is a famous test for improvisers, and Coltrane used the same cycle, the Coltrane changes, to reharmonise standards.