I just finish the chord recognition of "my favourite things" by the book Christmas jazz: 100 christmas jazz classics:
Key: F#minor

F#mi= F# A C#
E/F#= F# A# C# E (Bass)

Dma7= D F# A C#

E/D =DF#AE(BASS)

Bmi9 = B D F# A C#
E9= E G# B D F#

Ama7= A C# E G#
G#mi7 (b5)= G# B D E what is b5??
C#7 (b9)= C# EG# B D?

first time analysis. Please give me some advices, all experts in the forum.
Will post more this afternoon when I finish work....really tired...haha

The key you've posted is one you'd usually see written for Bb instruments - any time you're working on a standard it's always a good idea to know what the "usual" key is, so if you try to play it with other people you don't get a nasty surprise. If it's a song and you're playing with a singer you could end up in any key though.

The first 4 bars are F# minor, alternating with the E in the bass gives some interest. The next 4 bars are in D major - the relative major.

Then you need to think of the Bmin9, E9 and A major as one unit - this is a ii-V-I in A major.

The G#mi7(b5) has a flattened 5th i.e. D natural not D#, and the C#7(b9) has a flat 9, again the D natural.

G#mi7(b5), C#7(b9) is a minor ii-V turnaround to get you back into the F# minor at the start of the A section.

If you're going to start analysing jazz progressions the first thing you need to learn is how to spot ii-V-I progressions, both major and minor. It's the most common sequence you'll see.

EDIT: scrap the bit about D major and F# minor being relative. The relative minor to D major is B minor.
The 2 are related though with 3 of the 4 chord tones being the same. F# minor is the iii of D major.

The standard way to write slash chords is with the bass note after the slash, so what you write as E/F# and E/D should really be F#/E and D/E. Also G#m7b5 should be G# B D F#, not G# B D E.

Other than that, your chords are fine and I agree with what TSax said, although I'm not too familiar with this tune.

Oh, you must have heard it! You know the one - fluffy white poodles and whiskers on kittens and hamsters with pink ribbons eating apple strudel; all that sort of thing. From the Sound of Music.

...or if you're talking jazz, then it has to be John Coltrane.

I remember hearing the Sound of Music version on the radio when I was in the car once and thinking why on earth would anyone choose this version to listen to when they could choose Coltrane's...

Oh yeah, I know how the tune goes. What I meant was I've never tried to play it and so I'm not very familiar with the chord progression.

And I've never actually seen The Sound of Music, but I have always loved Trane's version of this song (which has no kittens or pink ribbons, thankfully).


Binky - I just played through your chords and I now realize you actually DO mean E/F# and E/D and not the other way round, you've just misunderstood these symbols. E/F#: F# E G# B (F# in bass), E/D: D E G# B (D in bass)

so which key is that song in?

It modulates, it's not in a single key.

Your version starts in F# minor, moves through D major to A major in the A section.
The B section is in F# major, B major and A major.

If you wanted to state a single key I'd probably say it was in A major (and I think that will be the key signature on your music), but that's an oversimplification.

I think Binky is just asking what key the tune is usually played in. Which would be E minor, I think.

Incidentally, I don't hear this tune as ever moving very far from the home key. The chords in the OP do suggest a brief modulation or tonicization of A major, but I don't see anything which suggests the key of B major. Are you referring to a different version?

I'm pretty sure Coltrane's version basically just alternates between E minor and E major (since the first eight bars of the melody works over either).

The B major bit comes after the chords Binky has quoted. I've just looked up a Real Book (Bb) version and it looks like this (all 1 chord per bar)

A section
F#-7; G#-7; F#-7 ; G#-7 ; Dmaj7; Dmaj7; Dmaj7 ; Dmaj7;
B-7 ; E7 ; Amaj7; Dmaj7; Amaj7; Dmaj7; G#-7b5; C#7 ; (repeated)

B section
F#maj7; G#-7; F#maj7; G#-7 ; Bmaj7; Bmaj7; Bmaj7 ; Bmaj7;
B-7 ; E7 ; Amaj7 ; Dmaj7; Amaj7; Dmaj7; G#-7b5; C#7 ;

C section
F#-7 ; F#-7 ; G#-7b5; C#7; F#-7 ; F#-7 ; Dmaj7; Dmaj7;
Dmaj7; Dmaj7; B7 ; B7 ; Amaj7; Dmaj7; Dmaj7 ; E7 ;
A6 ; Dmaj7; A6 ; Dmaj7; Amaj7; Dmaj7; G#-7b5; C#7

I'd say this version was predominantly in A major - the F# minor section being the relative minor. In the alternating Amaj7; Dmaj7 bit I'd think of the Dmaj7 as lydian i.e. still A major.

It's interesting that in the B section the F# minor has been replaced by F# major and the 4 bars of D maj7 have been replaced by Bmaj7 although the melody notes are the same. I've just checked an Aebersold version as well and the sequence is pretty much the same. The key signature in the version I've quoted above is 3 sharps.

I wish I had the skills to take it down from the recording, but I'm afraid that's beyond me.

Okay, thanks for posting the full changes. I think in that version I'd just view the Dmaj7 and the Bmaj7 as being diatonic chords - chord VI in f# minor and chord IV in F# major respectively. It does seem to move towards the relative major towards the end of each section.

I just listened to the original version from the film out of interest and the keys are a bit different - goes through the tune once in Eb minor/Gb major (starting in Eb minor, ending in Gb major, with a brief detour into Eb major in between), then a modulation to F minor, and the whole tune repeats a whole step higher (so ending in Ab major). I'm guessing not many people do this when playing the tune in a jazz context though - certainly Coltrane just stays in E minor/E major, with only a brief nod towards the relative major in part of the melody. It does make me wonder why Coltrane chose to play it in E minor though ...

Here it is if anyone's interested:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XHTN4Jvi6lg