Ornithology — Chord Changes & Harmonic Analysis
- Composer:
- Charlie Parker
- Year:
- 1946
- Key:
- G major
- Form:
- AABA (32 bars)
- Style:
- Bebop
- Tempo:
- 180–280 BPM
Charlie Parker's bebop contrafact over "How High the Moon". One of the most iconic bebop compositions with a virtuosic melody line.
About This Standard
Composed by Charlie Parker (with some credit attributed to Benny Harris) and recorded in 1946, Ornithology is a bebop contrafact built on the chord changes of Morgan Lewis's "How High the Moon" (1940). The title refers to the study of birds ("Bird" being Parker's nickname). Along with Ko-Ko and Donna Lee, it is one of the most celebrated bebop compositions of the 1940s.
Notable recordings:
- Charlie Parker — (1946 recording)
- Charlie Parker — (multiple alternate takes)
- Widely played — (bebop standard)
Chord Changes
Notation
Harmonic Analysis
Ornithology uses the 32-bar AABA changes of How High the Moon in G major. The A section moves through G major with a striking temporary modulation to Db major (a tritone away) via chromatic ii-V-I motion, before returning to G. The bridge moves from Bb major through the cycle. Like all bebop contrafacts, the original melody is replaced by a new, faster bebop head that outlines the chord changes with greater complexity than the original song. At up-tempo (200+ BPM), navigating the G-to-Db key shift demands complete ii-V-I fluency.