Standards
How Deep Is The Ocean chords & key
- Key
- E♭ major
- Form
- ABAC
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“How Deep Is The Ocean” is a jazz standard by Irving Berlin. Most bands play it in E♭ major, medium swing; the tune runs 32 bars in ABAC form. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences and 8 minor ii–V–i, uses 20 different chords and moves between the key centres G minor, C minor, E♭ major and F minor. In this atlas it appears on 12 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Cm7×5
- G7♭9×4
- Am7♭5×4
- D7♭9×4
- Gm7×4
- Fm7×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
G minor, C minor, E♭ major and F minor
Characteristics
- ABAC song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1947 | Songs by Sinatra Frank Sinatra · “How Deep Is the Ocean?” |
| 1952 | Young Man With a Horn Miles Davis · “How Deep Is the Ocean” |
| 1953 | Oscar Peterson Plays Irving Berlin Oscar Peterson |
| 1954 | Billie Holiday Billie Holiday · “How Deep Is the Ocean” |
| 1958 | Ella Fitzgerald Sings the Irving Berlin Song Book Ella Fitzgerald · “How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky)” |
| 1959 | Oscar Peterson Plays the Irving Berlin Songbook Oscar Peterson · “How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky)” |
| 1960 | Nice ’n’ Easy Frank Sinatra · “How Deep Is the Ocean” |
| 1967 | Invites You to Listen Ray Charles · “How Deep Is the Ocean (How High Is the Sky)” |
| 2003 | Body & Soul Billie Holiday |
| 2010 | Clapton Eric Clapton · “How Deep Is the Ocean” |
| 2014 | Partners Barbra Streisand · “How Deep Is the Ocean” |
| 2017 | Love in Triplicate - Sinatra Sings Great American Songbook Frank Sinatra · “HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN (1946)” |
Transcribed solos on How Deep Is The Ocean
| Charlie Parker alto saxophone | 72 BPM |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- HOW DEEP IS THE OCEAN (HOW HIGH IS THE SKY) ARTIE SHAW And His Orchestra · Hal Stevens · Irving Berlin · 1946 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| I Should Care 24% | C major |
| With The Wind And The Rain In Your Hair 24% | E♭ major |
| The Shadow Of Your Smile 22% | G major |
| Lullaby Of Birdland 21% | A♭ major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is How Deep Is The Ocean in?
How Deep Is The Ocean is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.
Who wrote How Deep Is The Ocean?
How Deep Is The Ocean was written by Irving Berlin.
What is the form of How Deep Is The Ocean?
How Deep Is The Ocean has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is How Deep Is The Ocean played?
The usual groove is Medium swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 72 BPM.
What are the chord changes to How Deep Is The Ocean?
The opening bars are Cm7 | Dm7b5 G7b9 | Cm7 | Am7b5 D7b9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.