E Major and D Major: The Most Special Chords in Jazz

In the straight-ahead jazz repertoire, not all chords are created equal. Two chords that stand out as particularly special are E major and D major—each with its own distinctive character and function in the jazz standard songbook.

E Major: The Dramatic Climax

E major often serves as a "perk-your-ears-up" chord that many tunes find their way to in the bridge, or B section, of an AABA form. It's undeniably striking—when a tune that starts in Bb or G suddenly takes a left turn to E major, it creates a very strong flavor, often serving as the high point of a tune—the point of maximum drama, after which everything else feels like an epilogue.

Duke Ellington's Love Affair with E Major

Duke Ellington seemed particularly fond of E major. Consider these Ellington compositions in various keys that find their way to E:

• Prelude to a Kiss (tune is in C major, goes to E major in the bridge)

• Warm Valley (tune is in Bb major, goes to E major in the bridge)

• Chelsea Bridge (tune is in Db major, goes to E major in the bridge)

Three completely unrelated keys that all journey to E major! This is no accident—Duke loved the richness of E major.

More E Major Moments in the Jazz Songbook

Many other composers have utilized this special chord:

• All The Things You Are (Ab, bridge goes to E)

• I'll Remember April (G, bridge goes to E)

• April In Paris (C, bridge goes to E)

• Stars Fell On Alabama (C, bridge gets to E at the end)

• I'll Take Romance (F, bridge eventually gets to E)

  
  

Clearly, it's not every tune that does this—generally it's tunes with a certain amount of harmonic richness. However, these examples show tunes in six different keys that all find their way to E major as a climactic point. This is no accident—composers know that E is a striking chord with the potential to grab a listener's attention. (I firmly believe different keys have different sounds and characters.)

D Major: The Exotic Waypoint

D major seems to have a slightly different function—often it's an exotic-sounding "stop along the way" rather than a climactic point of a tune, and not always in a bridge. But every time you encounter a D major chord in a "songbook" tune, it's clear that the composer is using it as a key moment—a point where all the colors suddenly turn up a little brighter.

D Major Moments in the Jazz Songbook

• Body and Soul (Db, bridge goes to D)

• Alone Together (Dm, and at the end of the first two 14-bar "A" sections there's a D major chord that I want to last forever every time I get to it)

• In Your Own Sweet Way (Bb, bridge goes to D major)

• I Can't Get Started (C, bridge goes to D major)

• Triste (Bb, ends up in D major in bar 13 and it's amazing)

• Little Sunflower (Dm, bridge has a lot of D major in it)

• I Remember You (F, bridge goes to D major—amazing)

• Once I Loved (Dm, "A" section ends on a D major chord)

• A Flower Is A Lovesome Thing (Db, bridge has some D major in it)

• Almost Like Being In Love (Bb—the move to D major in the bridge is spectacular)

• Everything Happens To Me (Bb—gets to D major in the bridge)

• I've Never Been In Love Before (Bb—this one makes you wait until the very end of the bridge but when it gets there it is GLORIOUS)

• Old Devil Moon (F—this form is an unusual 48 bars but D major shows up in the first half and it's an incredible moment)

The Fleeting Beauty

Whether it's E major or D major, one thing I love about these sounds is that they tend to happen just for a moment in the tunes—and then they're gone. They're fleeting, but they provide such a delicious richness in that moment that the whole tune is elevated.

Did I forget any tunes? I'm sure I did. Let me know if you can think of other examples.

Jazz Workshop Director's Favorite Voicings

By the way—my go-to voicings on piano for these chords are:

• E major: Left hand plays a low "E", right hand plays G# B C# D# F#

• D major: Left hand plays a low "D", right hand plays F# A B C# E

  
  

Try these voicings yourself and experience the special character these chords bring to jazz standards!