“Straight, No Chaser” is a blues composed by Thelonious Monk and first recorded in 1951. Its quirky, repeating melody shifts against the bar line, landing on different beats each time, which is a classic example of Monk’s rhythmic genius. Miles Davis’s 1958 version on Milestones made it even more popular.
The form is a 12-bar blues, usually in F (Bb is also common). The changes follow a standard jazz blues with a turnaround. The melody is built from one short phrase repeated and displaced, so it sounds simple but requires careful counting.
For improvisation, combine the F blues scale with chord tones, and borrow Monk’s idea of displacing a short motif rhythmically. Play a phrase, then repeat it starting on a different beat. That approach creates tension and surprise.
Practice the head with a metronome, counting carefully. Then improvise using motif displacement exercises.
Section by section: in bars one to four, use the F blues scale and borrow the head’s rhythmic displacement. In bars five and six, move to Bb7 and target D or Ab. In bars nine to twelve, outline the ii-V and turnaround. Monk’s solos often repeat a single idea, so try building a whole chorus from one phrase.
Practice tip: practice the head with a metronome on beat one only, which forces you to feel the displaced phrases internally.
Memorizing the Straight No Chaser Lead Sheet PDF: learn the form in sections, not all at once. Play the first eight bars until you can do them with your eyes closed, then add the next section. Within a week or two you won’t need the page at all, which is the real goal of any lead sheet.
Is it hard to play? The harmony is easy; the rhythm makes it intermediate. Recordings to study: Monk’s original, Miles Davis’s Milestones version. Learn more about the composer on Thelonious Monk’s Wikipedia page, and find more jazz blues lead sheets on Minedit.