Standards · 1923
What'll I Do chords & key
- Key
- C major
- Form
- AABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Jazz waltz
- Time signature
- 3/4
- Year
- 1923
“What'll I Do” is a jazz standard by Irving Berlin from 1923. It is usually played in C major as a jazz waltz, and the 32-bar AABA form has 4 sections. Harmonically it contains 7 major ii–V–I cadences and 3 minor ii–V–i, uses 12 different chords and moves between the key centres C major, D minor and F major. In this atlas it appears on 5 album tracks.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — C major
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- B♭7×7
- Cmaj7×6
- Fm7×6
- Dm7×6
- G7×6
- Em7×4
Key centres reached by ii–V
C major, D minor and F major
Characteristics
- AABA song form
History
"What'll I Do" is a song written by Irving Berlin in 1923. It was introduced by singers Grace Moore and John Steel late in the run of Berlin's third Music Box Revue and was also included in the following year's edition.
Read the full article on Wikipedia ↗ · From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia (CC BY-SA 4.0)
Recorded on these albums
| 1952 | Unforgettable Nat King Cole · “What’ll I Do” |
| 1962 | All Alone Frank Sinatra · “What'll I Do?” |
| 1962 | Lena on the Blue Side Lena Horne |
| 1979 | Ain’t It So Ray Charles · “What’ll I Do” |
| 2015 | The Complete Hits 1943-62 Frank Sinatra |
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
| Title | Key |
|---|---|
| Deed I Do 46% | C major |
| Rockin' Chair 37% | E♭ major |
| Don't Worry 'Bout Me 35% | A♭ major |
| A Weaver Of Dreams 33% | C major |
| Donna Lee 33% | A♭ major |
| The Masquerade Is Over 33% | E♭ major |
| I Want To Be Happy 32% | C major |
| Dancing On The Ceiling 31% | F major |
Frequently asked questions
What key is What'll I Do in?
What'll I Do is usually played in C major. For B♭ instruments that is D major, for E♭ instruments A major.
Who wrote What'll I Do?
What'll I Do was written by Irving Berlin (1923).
What is the form of What'll I Do?
What'll I Do has 4 sections (AABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is What'll I Do played?
The usual groove is Jazz waltz.
What are the chord changes to What'll I Do?
The opening bars are Cmaj7 | Fm7 Bb7 | Cmaj7 | Fm7 Bb7. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.