Standards
How High The Moon chords & key
- Key
- G major
- Form
- ABAC
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“How High The Moon” is a jazz standard by Morgan Lewis. Most bands play it in G major, medium swing; the tune runs 32 bars in ABAC form. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences and 5 minor ii–V–i, uses 14 different chords and moves between the key centres G minor, F major, E♭ major, A minor and G major. In this atlas it appears on 12 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — G major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Gmaj7×6
- Am7×5
- D7×5
- Fmaj7×4
- Gm7×3
- Am7♭5×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
G minor, F major, E♭ major, A minor and G major
Characteristics
- ABAC song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1949 | King Cole at the Piano King Cole · “How High the Moon” |
| 1955 | Lullabies of Birdland Ella Fitzgerald · “How High the Moon” |
| 1957 | An Evening With Oscar Peterson Oscar Peterson |
| 1961 | An Historical Meeting At The Summit Charlie Parker And Lester Young |
| 1964 | Hello, Dolly! Ella Fitzgerald · “How High the Moon” |
| 1993 | I Love Paris Ella Fitzgerald · “How High the Moon” |
| 1996 | How High the Moon Ella Fitzgerald · “How High the Moon” |
| 1998 | Lullabies of Birdland / Sweet and Hot Ella Fitzgerald · “How High the Moon” |
| 2002 | Love You Madly Duke Ellington |
| 2005 | All My Life Ella Fitzgerald · “How High the Moon” |
| 2016 | Jazz at the Philharmonic: The Ella Fitzgerald Set Ella Fitzgerald · “How High the Moon” |
| 2025 | Jukebox Ella: The Complete Verve Singles, Volume 2 Ella Fitzgerald · “How High the Moon (Parts 1 & 2)” |
Transcribed solos on How High The Moon
| Pepper Adams baritone saxophone | 116 BPM |
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- How High the Moon Mary Lou Williams · Morgan Lewis archive.org ↗
- HOW HIGH THE MOON Willie Smith · Coleman Hawkins, Flip Phillips · Buck Clayton ·… archive.org ↗
- HOW HIGH THE MOON Willie Smith · Coleman Hawkins; Flip Phillips · Buck Clayton ·… archive.org ↗
- HOW HIGH THE MOON GLENN MILLER'S UPTOWN HALL GANG · Bernie Privin · "Peanuts" Hucko ·… archive.org ↗
- How High the Moon Herman Chittison Trio · Herman Chittison · Carlton Powell · James… · 1944 archive.org ↗
- How High the Moon Esquires All American (New Star Winners) · Dodo Marmarosa · Ray… · 1945 archive.org ↗
- How High The Moon Herman Chittison Trio · Herman Chittison · Carlton Powell · James… · 1945 archive.org ↗
- How High the Moon Hazel Scott · Hamilton · Lewis · 1946 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Ornithology 62% | G major |
| Call Me 40% | G major |
| Afternoon In Paris 38% | C major |
| Be-Bop 38% | F minor |
| My Little Suede Shoes 32% | E♭ major |
| Let There Be Love 26% | E♭ major |
| Little Willie Leaps 24% | F major |
| Sometimes I'm Happy 24% | F major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is How High The Moon in?
How High The Moon is usually played in G major. For B♭ instruments that is A major, for E♭ instruments E major.
Who wrote How High The Moon?
How High The Moon was written by Morgan Lewis.
What is the form of How High The Moon?
How High The Moon has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is How High The Moon played?
The usual groove is Medium swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 116 BPM.
What are the chord changes to How High The Moon?
The opening bars are Gmaj7 | Gmaj7 | Gm7 | C7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.