Jump by Van Halen

Overview

Key: C major · Chords used: 20 · Sections: 18

Where these chords come from: an expert transcription of the original recording made for the Uspop2002 chord annotations (Music and Audio Research Lab, New York University). This page shows that transcription as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Part 1 (0:00)

• C5
  I5
• Gadd11/C – C – F/C (×2)
  Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄
• Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5
• Gadd11/C – C – F/C (×2)
  Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄

Part 2 (0:13)

• Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5
• Gadd11/C – C – F/C (×2)
  Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄
• Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5 – F/C – C
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5 – IV⁶₄ – I

Part 3 (0:26)

• F/C – Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5
  IV⁶₄ – Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5
• Gadd11/C – C – F/C (×2)
  Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄
• Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5 – Gadd11/C – C
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5 – Vadd11 (bass C) – I

Part 4 (0:38)

• F/C – Gadd11/C – C – F/C – Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5
  IV⁶₄ – Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄ – Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5
• Gadd11/C – C – F/C (×2)
  Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄
• Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5

Part 5 (0:51)

• Gadd11/C – C – F/C (×2)
  Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄
• Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – Am – F – C/E – Dm
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – vi – IV – I⁶ – ii

Part 6 (1:06)

• F – C/E – Dm – F – C/E – G – C5 – Gadd11/C – C – F/C – Gadd11/C – C
  IV – I⁶ – ii – IV – I⁶ – V – I5 – Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄ – Vadd11 (bass C) – I

Part 7 (1:20)

• F/C – Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5 – Gadd11/C – C – F/C – Gadd11/C – F/C – C – F/C – Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5 – Gadd11/C – C
  IV⁶₄ – Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5 – Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄ – Vadd11 (bass C) – IV⁶₄ – I – IV⁶₄ – Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5 – Vadd11 (bass C) – I

Part 8 (1:32)

• F/C – Gadd11/C – C – F/C – Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5
  IV⁶₄ – Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄ – Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5
• Gadd11/C – C – F/C (×2)
  Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄
• Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – Am
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – vi

Part 9 (1:46)

• F – C/E – Dm (×2)
  IV – I⁶ – ii
• F – C/E – G
  IV – I⁶ – V

Part 10 (2:01)

• C5
  I5
• Gadd11/C – C – F/C (×2)
  Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄
• Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5 – Gadd11/C – C – F/C – Gadd11/C – C
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5 – Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄ – Vadd11 (bass C) – I

Part 11 (2:14)

• F/C – Cadd11/F – Gsus4
  IV⁶₄ – Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4
• B♭m – G♭ – A♭5 – D♭sus4 (×3)
  bvii – bV – bVI5 – bIIsus4
• B♭m
  bvii

Part 12 (2:28)

• G♭ – A♭5 – D♭sus4 – C5 – F5 – G5
  bV – bVI5 – bIIsus4 – I5 – IV5 – V5

Part 13 (2:43)

• B♭5 – Asus4 – A♭sus2 – G5
  bVII5 – VIsus4 – bVIsus2 – V5

Part 14 (2:58)

• C5
  I5
• Gadd11/C – C – F/C (×2)
  Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄
• Cadd11/F – Gsus4
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4

Part 15 (3:12)

Same chords as Part 1 (0:00).

Part 16 (3:25)

• Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5
• Gadd11/C – C – F/C (×2)
  Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄
• Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5 – Gadd11/C – C – F/C – Gadd11/C
  Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5 – Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄ – Vadd11 (bass C)

Part 17 (3:39)

• C – F/C – Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5 – F/C – C – F/C – Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5 – Gadd11/C – C
  I – IV⁶₄ – Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5 – IV⁶₄ – I – IV⁶₄ – Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5 – Vadd11 (bass C) – I

Part 18 (3:51)

• F/C – Gadd11/C – C – F/C – Cadd11/F – Gsus4 – C5 – F/C
  IV⁶₄ – Vadd11 (bass C) – I – IV⁶₄ – Iadd11 (bass F) – Vsus4 – I5 – IV⁶₄

Chord vocabulary

Harmonic highlights

• A♭5 (bVI5) is borrowed from the parallel key, C minor.
• B♭5 (bVII5) is borrowed from the parallel key, C minor.
• A♭sus2 (bVIsus2) is borrowed from the parallel key, C minor.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords: the Uspop2002 chord annotations (Music and Audio Research Lab, New York University). Chord annotation of the original recording (1984), time-stamped by researchers; CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo.
• Section names: this annotation doesn't name verses or choruses, so they aren't guessed. Instead, code used the chord timings to find the bars and cut the song into 8-bar parts. Each part is labelled with the time it starts in the annotated recording (1984), and a part with exactly the same chords as an earlier one says so.
• The key was estimated by code from the chords; this annotation doesn't state it.
• Not verified: only one expert transcription of this song is available so far.
• 4 chords were simplified to the closest symbol our player supports (for example, an unusual added tone dropped).
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.