ENDEIT

Standards · 1957

Old Cape Cod chords & key

Rothrock-Vakus-Jeffrey · Lyrics: Claire Rothrock, Allan Jeffrey, M. Yakus

Key
E♭ major
Form
AABA
Bars
32
Groove
Ballad
Time signature
4/4
Year
1957

“Old Cape Cod” is a jazz standard by Rothrock-Vakus-Jeffrey from 1957. It is usually played in E♭ major as a ballad, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 6 major ii–V–I cadences and 1 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres A♭ major, E♭ major and F minor.

Chord changes

Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ major

A
E♭6
B♭m7E♭7
A♭maj7
D♭7
E♭maj7C7
1.
F7
Fm7
B♭7
2.
F7B♭7
E♭6
B♭m7E♭7
B
A♭maj7B♭7
Gm7C7♭9
Fm7B♭7
E♭maj7E♭7
A♭maj7Adim7
E♭D♭6C7
Fm7F7
B♭7B♭7♯5
A
E♭6
B♭m7E♭7
A♭maj7
D♭7
E♭maj7C7
F7B♭7
E♭6
Fm7B♭7

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

Harmonic analysis

6Major ii–V–I
1Minor ii–V–i
8ii–V moves
0Tritone substitutions
6Dominant chains
16Different chords

Most used chords

  • B♭7×7
  • E♭6×5
  • E♭7×5
  • A♭maj7×5
  • B♭m7×4
  • E♭maj7×4

Key centres reached by ii–V

A♭ major, E♭ major and F minor

Characteristics

  • AABA song form

History

"Old Cape Cod" is a song written by Claire Rothrock, Milton Yakus and Allan Jeffrey that was published in 1957. The single, as recorded by Patti Page, became a gold record, having sold more than a million copies. Hailed by Cape Cod natives as the "unofficial Cape Cod Anthem, if ever there was one," the song has been credited with "putting the Cape on the map" and helping to establish Cape Cod as a major tourist destination.

Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Standards with similar changes

Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.

TitleComposerKeyFormGroove
Donna Lee 38% Charlie Parker A♭ major AB · 32 Up-tempo swing
Sometimes I'm Happy 36% Vincent Youmans F major ABAB · 32 Medium swing
Bill Bailey, Won't You Please Come Home 35% Hughie Cannon G major ABAC · 32 Medium-up swing
Tadd's Delight 34% Tadd Dameron A♭ major ABAC · 32 Medium-up swing
Dancing On The Ceiling 32% Richard Rodgers F major AABA · 32 Ballad
Bunko 31% Lennie Niehaus F major AABA · 32 Medium swing
Them There Eyes 31% Tracy-Tauber-Pinkard A♭ major ABAC · 32 Up-tempo swing
Deed I Do 30% Hirsch-Rose C major AABA · 32 Medium swing

Frequently asked questions

What key is Old Cape Cod in?

Old Cape Cod is usually played in E♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is F major, for E♭ instruments C major.

Who wrote Old Cape Cod?

Old Cape Cod was written by Rothrock-Vakus-Jeffrey (1957).

What is the form of Old Cape Cod?

Old Cape Cod has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.

How fast is Old Cape Cod played?

The usual groove is Ballad.

What are the chord changes to Old Cape Cod?

The opening bars are Eb6 | Bbm7 Eb7 | Abmaj7 | Db7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.