“Fly Me to the Moon” Harmonic Analysis
Welcome to the third lesson in our exploration of the tune “Fly Me to the Moon”. This lesson departs from our previous focus on chord voicings and we now examine the key of the song and analyse the diatonic 7th chords in the key of C Major:
After this lesson you will have a better understanding of how jazz standards are composed using the chords and common chord progressions that exist within the key of C Major.
Numeric Harmony & Chord Progressions
Our exploration includes a thorough analysis of the tune’s chord progressions, highlighting the 2-5-1 progression which is the most common progression found in jazz music. We also introduce the 36251 progression which is an extended version of the 251 progression:
We then identify the other harmonic components such as the movement to the IV chord Fmaj7, and the use of the 251 progression in the relative minor key which is A minor.
The Relative Major & Minor Keys
Our analysis reveals the interplay between the relative major and minor keys within the tune “Fly Me To The Moon” and we highlight the shift between these ‘tonal centres’.
Shifting tonal centres and modulations are one of the hallmarks of jazz standards and this will become clearer as you extend your repertoire in the upcoming courses.
10th Intervals & Harmonising The Melody
In our next lesson we will arrange the song with left-hand 10th intervals, melody harmonisation techniques, and we will discuss the role of the turnaround phrase.
Practice Tips
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Memorise Major & Relative Minor Scale Pairs: Familiarise yourself with the C major scale and its relative minor - the A minor scale. The relative minor always starts and ends on the 6th note of the major scale.
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Identify 2-5-1 Progressions: Create a habit of identifying 2-5-1 progressions on lead sheets. Annotate your lead sheets with a pencil to jog your memory whilst playing the tunes.
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Learn The Diatonic 7th Chords: Remember that the diatonic 7th chords are the same quality in every key. The I and IV chords are major 7ths, the ii, iii, and vi chords are minor 7th chords, the V chord is a dominant 7th chord, and the vii chord is a minor 7b5 chord.