Every chord is the dominant of the next — a falling-fifths conveyor belt that can start as far out as you like and always dumps you at home. The rhythm-changes bridge is exactly this.
hear it in “I Got Rhythm” bridge · “Sweet Georgia Brown”
Lead-in — how players set it upEnter at 3⁷ from 1, or start further out at 6⁷.Or from 7⁷ for the maximal five-dominant chain.From 1 with the melody parked — the chain is the motion.Follow — where it usually goesThe chain self-terminates at 1 — tag with 6⁷ to reload.Sub any link's tritone twin for a chromatic bass instead.Or exit the chain early — every dominant is a legal off-ramp.
Guide tones only: each dominant's b7 falls a half step to the next 3rd — play just that lane and the chain sings itself.Target tones (in C)E7 — lean on G# (3) · D (b7)A7 — lean on C# (3) · G (b7)D7 — lean on F# (3) · C (b7)G7 — lean on B (3) · F (b7)C — lean on E (3)Half-step wiresG# → A · D ↘ C# · C# → D · G ↘ F# · F# → G · C ↘ B