Standards
On A Slow Boat To China chords & key
- Key
- B♭ major
- Form
- ABAC
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“On A Slow Boat To China” is a jazz standard by Frank Loesser. It is usually played in B♭ major as a medium swing, and the 32-bar ABAC form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 2 major ii–V–I cadences and 2 minor ii–V–i, uses 16 different chords and moves between the key centres C minor and B♭ major. In this atlas it appears on 3 album tracks and in 1 transcribed solo.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — B♭ major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- Cm7×7
- B♭maj7×4
- C7×3
- F7×3
- G7/B×2
- A7/D♭×2
Key centres reached by ii–V
C minor and B♭ major
Characteristics
- ABAC song form
Recorded on these albums
| 1958 | Fancy Meeting You Here Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney · “(I'd Like to Be) On a Slow Boat to China” |
| 1958 | Rendezvous Bing Crosby & Rosemary Clooney · “On a Slow Boat to China” |
| 1986 | “Easy Living” Ella Fitzgerald and Joe Pass · “Slow Boat to China” |
Transcribed solos on On A Slow Boat To China
| Phil Woods alto saxophone | 243 BPM |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| The Good Life 28% | A♭ major |
| Beyond The Blue Horizon 27% | B♭ major |
| It's Impossible 26% | G major |
| Donna Lee 24% | A♭ major |
| Dewey Square 23% | E♭ major |
| If I Knew Then (What I Know Now) 21% | E♭ major |
| You Made Me Love You 21% | C major |
| Sometimes I'm Happy 20% | F major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is On A Slow Boat To China in?
On A Slow Boat To China is usually played in B♭ major. For B♭ instruments that is C major, for E♭ instruments G major.
Who wrote On A Slow Boat To China?
On A Slow Boat To China was written by Frank Loesser.
What is the form of On A Slow Boat To China?
On A Slow Boat To China has 4 sections (ABAC) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is On A Slow Boat To China played?
The usual groove is Medium swing. Transcribed solos in our data were played at 243 BPM.
What are the chord changes to On A Slow Boat To China?
The opening bars are Bbmaj7 | G7/B | Cm7 | A7/Db. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.