🎺 Jazz Standards Key & Tempo Guide
A filterable table of well-known jazz standards with their common key and typical feel and tempo — handy for building a set, learning the repertoire, or counting off a tune at the right speed.
🎺 26 standards
| Standard | Composer | Key | Feel | Tempo |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Autumn Leaves | Joseph Kosma | G minor | Medium Swing | ~130 BPM |
| So What · Modal | Miles Davis | D dorian | Medium Swing | ~136 BPM |
| Take Five · 5/4 time | Paul Desmond | Eb minor | Medium Swing | ~170 BPM |
| Blue Bossa | Kenny Dorham | C minor | Latin / Bossa | ~150 BPM |
| All the Things You Are | Jerome Kern | Ab major | Medium Swing | ~160 BPM |
| Fly Me to the Moon | Bart Howard | C major | Medium Swing | ~120 BPM |
| Misty | Erroll Garner | Eb major | Ballad | ~62 BPM |
| Body and Soul | Johnny Green | Db major | Ballad | ~60 BPM |
| Giant Steps | John Coltrane | B major | Up-Tempo | ~290 BPM |
| 'Round Midnight | Thelonious Monk | Eb minor | Ballad | ~62 BPM |
| My Funny Valentine | Richard Rodgers | C minor | Ballad | ~70 BPM |
| Song for My Father | Horace Silver | F minor | Latin / Bossa | ~130 BPM |
| The Girl from Ipanema · Bossa nova | Antônio Carlos Jobim | F major | Latin / Bossa | ~130 BPM |
| Summertime | George Gershwin | A minor | Ballad | ~80 BPM |
| Blue Monk | Thelonious Monk | Bb major | Blues | ~110 BPM |
| Bags' Groove | Milt Jackson | F major | Blues | ~140 BPM |
| Oleo · Rhythm changes | Sonny Rollins | Bb major | Up-Tempo | ~220 BPM |
| Confirmation | Charlie Parker | F major | Up-Tempo | ~200 BPM |
| St. Thomas · Calypso | Sonny Rollins | C major | Latin / Bossa | ~180 BPM |
| Footprints · 6/4 time | Wayne Shorter | C minor | Jazz Waltz | ~140 BPM |
| Naima | John Coltrane | Ab major | Ballad | ~64 BPM |
| Stella by Starlight | Victor Young | Bb major | Medium Swing | ~120 BPM |
| Solar | Miles Davis | C minor | Medium Swing | ~150 BPM |
| Well You Needn't | Thelonious Monk | F major | Medium Swing | ~160 BPM |
| Recorda Me | Joe Henderson | A minor | Latin / Bossa | ~180 BPM |
| Someday My Prince Will Come · 3/4 time | Frank Churchill | Bb major | Jazz Waltz | ~140 BPM |
Keys and feels reflect the commonly-played versions in fake books and lead sheets; players often transpose to suit a soloist or vocalist.
Know the repertoire at a glance
Learning standards means learning their keys and feels as much as their melodies. Grouping tunes this way helps you pace a set, sequence keys that flow, and recognise the medium-swing and ballad staples every player is expected to call.
Count each tune in with the BPM Tap Tempo Calculator, then dig into its harmony with the Jazz Chord Progression Generator and Scale & Mode Finder.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
Are these the only keys these tunes are played in?
No. The keys listed are the ones most commonly found in fake books and lead sheets, but jazz musicians routinely transpose a standard to suit a vocalist's range or a soloist's preference. Treat the key as the usual starting point, not a rule.
What do the feels mean?
"Ballad" is slow and lyrical; "medium swing" is the classic mid-tempo four-to-the-bar groove; "up-tempo" is fast, often for burning solos; "Latin" covers bossa nova and other Afro-Cuban and Brazilian feels; "jazz waltz" is in three; and "blues" is the 12-bar form. The tempo column gives a typical BPM for each.
How should I use this guide?
Filter by feel to build a balanced set — a couple of ballads among the medium-swing tunes — or filter by key to group standards that sit well together on a gig. Pair it with the BPM Tap Tempo Calculator to count off each tune at the right speed.
Why does the same standard have different tempos?
Tempo is an interpretive choice. A ballad can be taken as a slow rubato reading or pushed to a medium groove, and up-tempo tunes vary widely between players and recordings. The listed BPM is a common, playable reference rather than a fixed value.