Standards · 1944
Laura chords & key
“Laura” is a jazz standard by David Raksin from 1944. Most bands play it in C major, ballad; the tune runs 32 bars in ABAC form. Harmonically it contains 4 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 27 different chords and moves between the key centres G major, F major and C minor. In this atlas it appears on 11 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — C major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- G6×4
- Fmaj7×4
- D7♭9×3
- Am9×2
- Gm9×2
- C7♭9×2
Key centres reached by ii–V
G major, F major and C minor
Characteristics
- ABAC song form
History
Laura is a 1944 American film noir produced and directed by Otto Preminger. It stars Gene Tierney and Dana Andrews, along with Clifton Webb, Vincent Price, and Judith Anderson. The screenplay by Jay Dratler, Samuel Hoffenstein, and Betty Reinhardt is based on the 1943 novel Laura by Vera Caspary. Laura received five Oscar nominations, including for Best Director, winning for Best Black and White Cinematography. In 1999, Laura was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". The American Film Institute named it one of the 10 best mystery films of all time, and it also appears on Roger Ebert's "Great Movies" series.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
Historic 78 rpm recordings
- Laura The Don Byas Quartet · Don Byas · Slam Stewart · Johnny Guarnieri ·… · 1945 archive.org ↗
- Laura Jerry Wald and his Orchestra · Dick Merrick · Mercer · Raksin · 1945 archive.org ↗
- Laura The Don Byas Quartet · Don Byas · Slam Stewart · Johnny Guarnieri ·… · 1945 archive.org ↗
- Laura Buddy Lucas · D. Raskin · J. Mercer · 1953 archive.org ↗
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
Frequently asked questions
What key is Laura in?
Laura is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote Laura?
Laura was written by David Raksin (1944).
What is the form of Laura?
Laura has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Laura played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to Laura?
The opening bars are Am9 | D7b9 | G6 | G6. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.