Jazz lead sheet · Intermediate
Things Ain’t What They Used to Be
A relaxed blues in D♭ with a VI7 that points toward the II7 and the final cadence.
- Composer
- Mercer Ellington
- Form
- 12-bar blues
- Key
- D♭ major
- Style
- Blues
- Length
- 12 bars
BluesD♭ major
I7D♭ Mixolydian
IV7G♭ Mixolydian
I7D♭ Mixolydian
I7D♭ Mixolydian
IV7G♭ Mixolydian
IV7G♭ Mixolydian
I7D♭ Mixolydian
V7/iiB♭ Mixolydian
V7/VE♭ Mixolydian
V7A♭ Mixolydian
I7D♭ Mixolydian
V7A♭ Mixolydian
For students
What to notice
- The form is a standard 12-bar blues: D♭7, G♭7 and A♭7 are the I7, IV7 and V7.
- B♭7 in bar 8 is VI7, a secondary dominant that leads to E♭7, the II7.
- E♭7 then falls a 5th to A♭7 (V7), a strong ii–V route to the last cadence.
Practice plan
Three steps to improvising
- Play the roots, then the guide tones through the last four bars.
- Notice how B♭7 to E♭7 adds motion without leaving the blues.
- Improvise with the D♭ blues scale and land on the 3rd of each chord.
For teachers
Using this chart in class
- Project the chart with Play along running and loop one section while students find the guide tones.
- Choose Practice → Name the numerals for a whole-class quiz: students vote, then reveal the explanation.
- Mixed ensemble? Print the worksheet once per transposition: B♭, E♭, F and bass clef parts all line up bar for bar.
- Share a link: the key, instrument and view you choose are saved in the address bar.
Chord changes are common performance versions written out by Music Theory Lessons. No melodies or lyrics are reproduced. Names of songs and composers are used only to identify each tune.