Standards · 1954
Misty chords & key
“Misty” is a jazz standard by Erroll Garner from 1954. It is usually played in E♭ major as a ballad, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 8 major ii–V–I cadences and 2 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres A♭ major, E♭ major and F minor. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks.
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
- E♭maj7×6
- Fm7×6
- B♭7×6
- A♭maj7×5
- B♭m7×4
- E♭7×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
A♭ major, E♭ major and F minor
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"Misty" is a jazz standard written and originally recorded in 1954 by pianist Erroll Garner. He composed it as an instrumental in the traditional 32-bar format, and recorded it on July 27, 1954, for the album Contrasts. Lyrics were added later by Johnny Burke. It appeared on Johnny Mathis's 1959 album Heavenly, and this recording reached number 12 on the US Pop Singles chart later that year. It has since become one of Mathis's signature songs. The song has been recorded by many other artists, including versions by Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. Ray Stevens released a hit country version in 1975. Recordings by both Johnny Mathis and Erroll Garner have been inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. It was ranked number 174 in the list of the Songs of the Century compiled by Recording Industry Association of America and National Endowment for the Arts.
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Recorded on these albums
| 1960 | Let No Man Write My Epitaph Ella Fitzgerald |
| 1962 | Sinatra & Strings Frank Sinatra |
| 2026 | Night Blooms Jeff Goldblum & The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Ceora 43% | A♭ major |
| One Morning In May 37% | G major |
| Sometimes I'm Happy 36% | F major |
| Little Girl Blue 35% | F major |
| I've Never Been In Love Before 34% | B♭ major |
| Deed I Do 32% | C major |
| Easy Street 32% | E♭ major |
| I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket 32% | C major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is Misty in?
Misty is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.
Who wrote Misty?
Misty was written by Erroll Garner (1954).
What is the form of Misty?
Misty has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Misty played?
The usual groove is Ballad.
What are the chord changes to Misty?
The opening bars are Ebmaj7 | Bbm7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 | Abm7 Db7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.