Standards · 1959
My Favorite Things chords & key
- Key
- E minor
- Form
- AABCC
- Bars
- 72
- Groove
- Jazz waltz
- Time signature
- 3/4
- Year
- 1959
“My Favorite Things” is a jazz standard by Richard Rodgers from 1959. Most bands play it in E minor, jazz waltz; the tune runs 72 bars in AABCC form. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences and 4 minor ii–V–i, uses 12 different chords and moves between the key centres E minor and G major. In this atlas it appears in 2 transcribed solos.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — E minor
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Cmaj7×23
- Em7×8
- Gmaj7×8
- F♯m7×6
- F♯m7♭5×5
- B7♭9×5
Key centres reached by ii–V
E minor and G major
History
"My Favorite Things" is a show tune from the 1959 Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The Sound of Music. In the original Broadway production, the song was introduced by Mary Martin playing Maria and Patricia Neway playing Mother Abbess. Julie Andrews first performed the song in a 1961 Christmas special for The Garry Moore Show, recording it again when she starred as Maria in the 1965 film adaptation of the musical. Many of the favorite things evoke winter time imagery including warm mittens, packages, sleigh bells, snowflakes, and silver white winters. The song's cozy lyrics inspired its adoption as a staple of the holiday season, significantly bolstered by the movie's popularity. The screen version of the song was ranked number 64 on AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs, a 2004 survey of top tunes in American cinema.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Transcribed solos on My Favorite Things
| John Coltrane soprano saxophone | 179 BPM |
| John Coltrane soprano saxophone | 179 BPM |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Serenade To A Cuckoo 23% | F minor |
| Autumn Leaves 20% | G minor |
Frequently asked questions
What key is My Favorite Things in?
My Favorite Things is usually played in E minor. For B♭ instruments that is F♯ minor, for E♭ instruments C♯ minor.
Who wrote My Favorite Things?
My Favorite Things was written by Richard Rodgers (1959).
What is the form of My Favorite Things?
My Favorite Things has 5 sections (AABCC) with 72 bars in total.
How fast is My Favorite Things played?
The usual groove is Jazz waltz. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 179 BPM and 179 BPM.
What are the chord changes to My Favorite Things?
The opening bars are Em7 | F#m7 | Em7 | F#m7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.