4793 / 18210 · Workshop 31 — “Giant Steps”: Coltrane Changes, Major-Third Key Cycles, Ultra-Fast Tonal Reorientation, and Surviving Harmony That Moves Faster Than You Can Think← prev⊞ allnext →
31.1First: why “Giant Steps” sounds so unusual
Most tonal jazz harmony gives you root motion by fifth:
D → G → C
or:
A → D → G
The ear understands this easily because the Circle of Fifths creates strong functional gravity.
“Giant Steps” uses another important relationship repeatedly:
major thirds between tonal centers.
That creates large harmonic jumps.