ENDEIT

Standards

Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' chords & key

Richard Rodgers

Key
E♭ major
Form
ABB
Bars
52
Groove
Jazz waltz
Time signature
3/4

“Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'” is a jazz standard by Richard Rodgers. It is usually played in E♭ major as a jazz waltz, and the 52-bar ABB form has 3 sections. Harmonically it contains 4 major ii–V–I cadences and 2 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres E♭ major and F minor. In this atlas it appears on 4 album tracks.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
E♭6
B♭7
E♭6
B♭7
E♭6
B♭7
Cm7
B7
E♭maj7/B♭
B♭7/A♭
E♭6/G
A♭6
E♭6
Cm7
D♭dim7
B♭7/D
B
E♭6
E♭6
Gm7♭5C7♭9
Fm7B♭7
E♭6
Cm7
Fm7
B♭7
E♭6
E♭6
A♭maj7♯11
Adim7
E♭6/B♭
B♭7
1.
E♭6
B♭7
2.
E♭6/G
Fm7
E♭6/B♭
B♭7
E♭6
E♭6

Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.

Harmonic analysis

4Major ii–V–I
2Minor ii–V–i
6ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
0Dominant chains
16Different chords

Most used chords

  • E♭6×17
  • B♭7×11
  • Fm7×5
  • Cm7×4
  • E♭6/B♭×3
  • E♭6/G×2

Key centres reached by ii–V

E♭ major and F minor

Recorded on these albums

1977 True to Life
Ray Charles · “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”
2006 Ray Sings, Basie Swings
Ray Charles + Count Basie Orchestra · “Oh, What a Beautiful Morning”
2015 The Complete Hits 1943-62
Frank Sinatra · “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin'”
2026 Too Marvelous For Words
Peggy Lee · “Oh, What a Beautiful Mornin’”

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Flat Foot Floogee 24% Gaillard-Stuart-Green F major AABA · 32 Slow swing
A Ghost Of A Chance 23% Victor Young C major AB · 32 Ballad
Dinah 21% Harry Akst G major BBA · 24 Medium-up swing
Down In The Depths 21% Cole Porter G major AAB · 54 Medium swing
Lullaby Of Birdland 21% George Shearing A♭ major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Look To The Rainbow 20% Burton Lane E♭ major ABB · 56 Jazz waltz
Skylark 20% Hoagy Carmichael E♭ major AABA · 32 Ballad
Some Enchanted Evening 20% Richard Rodgers C major AABAC · 60 Ballad

Frequently asked questions

What key is Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' in?

Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'?

Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' was written by Richard Rodgers.

What is the form of Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'?

Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' has 3 sections (ABB) with 52 bars in total.

How fast is Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin' played?

The usual groove is Jazz waltz.

What are the chord changes to Oh, What A Beautiful Mornin'?

The opening bars are Eb6 | Bb7 | Eb6 | Bb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.