
Coltrane's "Giant Steps" explained: why it's so hard to play
VoxRecommended by 5 people on Hacker News, 2021–2025
11M views · 7 years ago · breakdown
Vox Earworm, with saxophonist Braxton Cook and Adam Neely, explains why Coltrane's 1959 tune is so hard to improvise over: a fast tempo and chords moving through three keys a major third apart.
Makes one of jazz's most famous harmonic puzzles understandable even if you don't read music.
1 comment from Hacker News
If you're looking for a comprehensible to mortals explanation of the genius that can be found in Jazz, watch this explainer on Coltrane's Giant Steps.