Begin the Beguine — chords & grille (gypsy jazz)
Begin the Beguine by Cole Porter — key of C (manouche), form A A B C D D' Coda. Below is the full chord grid; on Haute Gitanerie you can play along with a scrolling chord ribbon, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and switch on a rhythm backing (la pompe) to practise your solos over the changes.
About
Written by Cole Porter in 1935 for the musical Jubilee, Begin the Beguine was, at 108 bars, the longest popular song of its day. Artie Shaw's 1938 swing version made it a lasting standard, and it long ago entered the manouche book.
The sound — a sprawling form in C major built on a beguine (a slow rhumba-like) feel, moving through many keys and ii–V links before finding its way home. It rewards patience over flash.
Practising it — learn it in sections; the length is the challenge. Map each ii–V and drill the arpeggios that spell it, keeping a relaxed, even swing rather than chasing tempo.
Begin the Beguine chords — the grille
A : | C | C | C | C | C | C C#° | Dm | G7 | Dm | Dm | Dm | Dm | Dm | G7 | C | Dm G7 |
B : | Cm | F7 | B♭ | B♭ | B♭m | E♭7 | A♭ | A♭ | Aø | D7 | G | A♭7 | G | Fm | Dm | G7 |
C : | C | G7 | C | G7 | C | Eø A7 | Dm | G7 | Fm6 | Fm6 | Fm6 | Fm6 | Dm | G7 | C | C |
D : | C | C | C | C | C | Em E♭° | Dm | G7 | F | F | Em | A7 | Dm | G7 | C | G7 |
D' : | C | C | C | C | C | Em E♭° | Dm | G7 | F | F | Em | A7 | Dm | G7 | Dø | G7 | Dm | G7 | C | C |
Coda : | Dm | Dm | Dm | G7 | C | B♭7 | A♭ B♭7 | C |
Chords used
C · C#° · Dm · G7 · Cm · F7 · B♭ · B♭m · E♭7 · A♭ · Aø · D7 · G · A♭7 · Fm · Eø · A7 · Fm6 · Em · E♭° · F · Dø · B♭7
Play along
Open the interactive grille for Begin the Beguine: loop any section, transpose to any key, set the tempo, and play over a rhythm accompaniment — with a real recorded pompe on featured tunes. In the browser, free.