“Autumn Leaves” began as a French song from the 1940s and became one of the most played jazz standards of all. Every jazz musician knows it, every jam session calls it, and it is the tune I give most often to students who are ready for their first standard.
A note before we start: the melody of the song is still protected by copyright, so you won’t find it on this page. Learn it from a recording (there are some suggestions at the end) or from a licensed lead sheet. Everything here is about the chords and the left hand, which is where beginners need the most help.
Why it is the perfect first standard
- It is made of ii–V–Is. A major one (Cm7 – F7 – B♭maj7 in G minor) and a minor one (Am7♭5 – D7 – Gm), again and again.
- The chords move around the circle of 4ths. C to F to B♭ to E♭ to A to D to G: each root is a 4th above the last. Once you hear that, the whole tune falls into place.
- The form is clear. Four sections of eight bars.
- It sounds good slowly. At a relaxed tempo, even two-note voicings sound like jazz.
The chords
The most common jazz key is G minor (written with two flats). E minor is popular too, especially with singers. Here is the form in G minor, four bars per line:
| Section | Chords, one per bar | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| A | Cm7 | F7 | B♭maj7 | E♭maj7 |
| Am7♭5 | D7 | Gm7 | Gm7 | |
| A | the same eight bars again | |||
| B | Am7♭5 | D7 | Gm7 | Gm7 |
| Cm7 | F7 | B♭maj7 | E♭maj7 | |
| C | Am7♭5 | D7 | Gm7 C7 | Fm7 B♭7 |
| E♭maj7 | Am7♭5 D7 | Gm7 | Gm7 | |
Different lead sheets differ in small details (D7 or D7♭9, for example), and that’s fine. Look at the shape: bars 1–3 are a ii–V–I in B♭ major, bars 5–7 a ii–V–i in G minor, and bar 4 (E♭maj7) is the bridge between them.
Step 1: two-note shells in the left hand
Start with the left hand alone, two notes per chord: the root and either the 7th or the 3rd. I chose them so that the upper note walks down step by step through the whole A section: B♭, A, A, G, G, F♯, E. Listen for it:
Cm7: C–B♭ · F7: F–A · B♭maj7: B♭–A · E♭maj7: E♭–G · Am7♭5: A–G · D7: D–F♯ · Gm7: G–F
Play this until you can do it without looking at the chart. Then switch the key to E minor and do it again: it is the same hand movement, a minor 3rd lower.
Fingering for the left hand
Students ask me about fingering more than anything else on this tune. Here is what works for most hands:
| Voicing | Left-hand fingers | Tip |
|---|---|---|
| Root + 7th | 5 and 1 | Keep the hand relaxed; the thumb does the walking. |
| Root + 3rd | 4 and 2 | 4 on the root, 2 on the 3rd. |
| Root – 3rd – 7th | 5 – 3 – 1 | Fits inside an octave. |
| Root – 7th + 3rd above | 5 – 1, the 3rd in the right hand | Spans a 10th: split it between the hands. |
| Four-note rootless voicing | 5 – 3 – 2 – 1 (or 5 – 4 – 2 – 1) | Change only what you must between chords. |
The guiding idea: fingers that stay on the same note should not change. When the B♭ of Cm7 becomes the A of F7, the thumb simply slides down a half step.
Step 2: three-note shells
Now add the missing guide tone. Alternate two shapes: 1–3–7 (root, 3rd, 7th) and 7–1–3 (the 7th at the bottom, then the root and the 3rd). In G minor: Cm7 C–E♭–B♭, F7 E♭–F–A, B♭maj7 B♭–D–A, E♭maj7 D–E♭–G. Everything stays in the left hand, and the hand barely moves. You now hear the full ii–V–I movement: 7ths falling to 3rds at every change.
Cm7: C–E♭–B♭ · F7: E♭–F–A · B♭maj7: B♭–D–A · E♭maj7: D–E♭–G · Am7♭5: A–C–G · D7: C–D–F♯ · Gm7: G–B♭–F
Step 3: add the right hand
With the left hand on autopilot, it is time for the right hand. First, of course, learn the melody of the song from a recording. Then try playing simple lines made of chord tones over the shells. Here is an original line I wrote for this lesson: chord tones, a couple of 9ths for colour, and one passing note:
Cm7: C–B♭ · F7: F–A · B♭maj7: B♭–A · E♭maj7: E♭–G · Am7♭5: A–G · D7: D–F♯ · Gm7: G–F
Then improvise your own: two or three notes per bar, chord tones on the beat, and land on the 3rd or the 7th when a new chord arrives.
Step 4: rootless voicings
When the shells feel easy, try the voicings pianists use with a bass player: four notes without the root, 3rd and 7th plus colours. They are explained in my lesson on Bill Evans left-hand voicings; here they are on the A section:
Cm9: E♭–G–B♭–D · F13: E♭–G–A–D · B♭maj9: D–F–A–C · E♭maj9: D–F–G–B♭ · Am7♭5: C–E♭–G–D · D7♭9: F♯–B♭–C–E♭ · Gm9: B♭–D–F–A
The whole form
Finally, the whole tune: A, A, B, C, 32 bars. In the last section, two bars have two chords each (Gm7 C7 and Fm7 B♭7, then Am7♭5 D7). Play those as two beats per chord, and don’t rush: the change comes on beat 3.
A one-week practice plan
- Day 1–2: left-hand two-note shells, A section, then the whole form. Metronome at 70.
- Day 3: three-note shells. Say each chord name out loud as you play it.
- Day 4: learn the melody from a recording, phrase by phrase, singing it first.
- Day 5: melody in the right hand, shells in the left, slowly.
- Day 6: improvise one chorus with chord tones over the shells.
- Day 7: all of it in E minor.
Mistakes I hear most often
- Losing the form. Count the sections: A, A, B, C. Write the letters on your chart.
- Rushing the two-chord bars. Gm7 C7 | Fm7 B♭7 go by quickly; practise those four bars alone.
- Left hand too low. Keep the roots of your shells above about A2.
- Starting with both hands. Left hand first until it needs no attention. Then add the melody.
What comes next
When “Autumn Leaves” feels comfortable, the next tunes use the same ii–V–Is in new orders. Keep your left hand fit with the ii–V–I drill in all 12 keys, and build it into a 20-minute daily routine.
Recommended listening
Ten versions of the same tune. Learn the melody from one, then hear how differently everyone plays it.
- “Autumn Leaves”, Cannonball Adderley · Somethin’ Else (1958): with Miles Davis; Hank Jones, piano
- “Autumn Leaves”, Bill Evans Trio · Portrait in Jazz (1959)
- “Autumn Leaves”, Erroll Garner · Concert by the Sea (1955)
- “Autumn Leaves”, Ahmad Jamal Trio · The Ahmad Jamal Trio (1955)
- “Autumn Leaves”, Wynton Kelly · Someday My Prince Will Come (1961)
- “Autumn Leaves”, Miles Davis Quintet · Miles in Berlin (1964): Herbie Hancock, piano
- “Autumn Leaves”, Chet Baker · She Was Too Good to Me (1974)
- “Autumn Leaves”, Sarah Vaughan · Crazy and Mixed Up (1982)
- “Autumn Leaves”, Keith Jarrett Trio · Still Live (1986)
- “Autumn Leaves”, Frank Sinatra · Where Are You? (1957): a vocal version: learn the melody and the words