How Coltrane’s ‘Changes’ Redefined Jazz Harmony

John Coltrane, the legendary tenor saxophonist, created a new harmonic system that musicians now call “Coltrane changes.” This approach replaces the usual single‑key harmony of most tunes with rapid chord substitutions that move the music through several keys.

"Popular songs, generally speaking, are centred around a single key, which dictates the chords that can be used within the key. Coltrane, however, [substituted] a tune's chords with similar sounding harmony that allowed him to bridge or jump to different keys," explains Eric Ajaye, presenter of Jazz Legends on ABC Jazz.

The piece “Giant Steps” is the clearest example of this technique. The composition contains numerous key changes and is played at an extremely fast tempo, turning each chord shift into a dazzling musical maze.

Because the “Coltrane changes” break the limits of a single key, they opened new possibilities for improvisation and composition. Later jazz artists and even musicians from other genres have borrowed the idea, keeping Coltrane’s harmonic adventure alive today.

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