“Fly Me to the Moon” Harmonic Analysis
Welcome to the third lesson in our exploration of the tune “Fly Me to the Moon”. This lesson departs from our previous focus on chord voicings and we now examine the key of the song and analyse the diatonic 7th chords in the key of C Major:
After this lesson you will have a better understanding of how jazz standards are composed using the chords and common chord progressions that exist within the key of C Major.
Numeric Harmony & Chord Progressions
Our exploration includes a thorough analysis of the tune’s chord progressions, highlighting the 2-5-1 progression which is the most common progression found in jazz music. We also introduce the 36251 progression which is an extended version of the 251 progression:
We then identify the other harmonic components such as the movement to the IV chord Fmaj7, and the use of the 251 progression in the relative minor key which is A minor.
The Relative Major & Minor Keys
Our analysis reveals the interplay between the relative major and minor keys within the tune “Fly Me To The Moon” and we highlight the shift between these ‘tonal centres’.
Shifting tonal centres and modulations are one of the hallmarks of jazz standards and this will become clearer as you extend your repertoire in the upcoming courses.
10th Intervals & Harmonising The Melody
In our next lesson we will arrange the song with left-hand 10th intervals, melody harmonisation techniques, and we will discuss the role of the turnaround phrase.
Related Lessons
We introduce the concept of whole-step 251 drills, and how they can be an interesting alternative to drills around the circle of fifths.
Most jazz standards that you come across will contain a 251 progression in some form so it is essential that you know how to construct the 251.
Scales provide the basis for understanding harmony. Learning and memorising the 12 major scales is the first step in learning jazz piano.
Practice Tips
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Memorise Major & Relative Minor Scale Pairs: Familiarise yourself with the C major scale and its relative minor - the A minor scale. The relative minor always starts and ends on the 6th note of the major scale.
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Identify 2-5-1 Progressions: Create a habit of identifying 2-5-1 progressions on lead sheets. Annotate your lead sheets with a pencil to jog your memory whilst playing the tunes.
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Learn The Diatonic 7th Chords: Remember that the diatonic 7th chords are the same quality in every key. The I and IV chords are major 7ths, the ii, iii, and vi chords are minor 7th chords, the V chord is a dominant 7th chord, and the vii chord is a minor 7b5 chord.
Hi Hayden,
I like your courses very much even though for my level they are quite difficult. My question is now. I ofte don’t find the next course. After “Fly me to the moon” Harmonic Analyses you say that we explore in the next lesson more but I do not know what is the next lesson. Can you help me please.
Best
Gerold
Hi Gerold,
I’m glad that you are enjoying the lessons. I’m currently working on new “Novice” level courses which are the most accessible courses and arrangements on the website.
I realised I still need to need to add a final lesson to this course which is melodic embellishment for the tune ‘Fly Me To The Moon’ – I will record that lesson this week.
In the interim, I recommend that you get started with the other “Novice” course which you can find here: https://www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/reading-lead-sheets-bb-major/
This course contains 9 lessons which cover 2 beginner jazz standards which are ‘My Foolish Heart’ and ‘Autumn Leaves’ and so I recommend to get started with these lessons immediately.
Please check out the course page above and let me know if I can be of further assistance.
Talk soon,
Hayden
Thank you Hayden
Hi, I’ve been enjoyng this course a lot, but like Geromino I’d like to watch the final lesson on Fly me To The Moon but couldn”t find it. I suppose it’s not available yet. When will it be available? Thanks 🙂
Hi Luiz,
Thanks for the message. I still need to record this lesson – my apologies it slipped off my radar – so I will get to work on it immediately. Please give me a few days and I will ensure it recorded, edited and added to the course.
In the interim, we do have some more advanced lessons on this tune which you can find here: https://www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/fly-me-to-the-moon-tutorial/ – this incorporates more advanced theory but it might be interesting for you to watch.
Also feel free to get started on the other Novice level courses, and I will finish this courses asap. Definitely by the end of the week! :–)
Talk soon,
Hayden
Hi Luiz,
The final lesson has been added to the course page. Here is a direct link:
https://www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/10th-intervals-melodic-tips/
I am also going to add a “Listening & Transcription” module to each of our Novice courses where we listen to a selection of recordings of the songs that we cover, and I’ll explain how to emulate melodic embellishments, fills, and other ways that we can make our arrangements unique and personalised.
More on that to follow shortly.
Best,
Hayden