Published:
2023-04-24
Updated:
2023-04-24

Learning Ukulele with Curt

My Funny Valentine

Harmonic Analysis (RMA) Worksheet for the song: "My Funny Valentine".

Author(s): Curt Sheller Publisher: Curt Sheller Publications Code: ULHA-YB-287

Main Category: Harmonic-Analysis Main Instrument: Any

Subjects: Chords

2023-04-24

My Funny Valentine

Harmonic Analysis (RMA) Worksheet for the song: "My Funny Valentine".

My Funny Valentine

Published: 1937 by Chappell & Co.

My Funny Valentine is a show tune from the 1937 Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart coming of age musical Babes in Arms in which it was introduced by teenaged star Mitzi Green. The song became a popular jazz standard, appearing on over 1300 albums performed by over 600 artists. One of them was Chet Baker, for whom it became his signature song. In 2015, it was announced that the Gerry Mulligan quartet featuring Chet Baker's version of the song was inducted into the Library of Congress's National Recording Registry for the song's "cultural, artistic and/or historical significance to American society and the nation’s audio legacy". Mulligan also recorded the song with his Concert Jazz Band in 1960. wikiwand

My Funny Valentine is in the The Daily Ukulele 365 Songs for Better Living book.

Strum a different song every day with easy arrangements of 365 of your favorite songs in one big songbook! The Daily Ukulele features ukulele arrangements with melody, lyrics and uke chord grids and are in ukulele-friendly keys that are particularly suited for groups of one to one hundred to play and sing.

Ukulele Chords

Am G#+ Am7 Am6 F Dm Bm7b5 E7 Fm G7 C Em7 Cmaj7 C7

These and many other chords are covered in the Learn A Chord A Day series of lessons.

C Tuning Chords

In the Daily Ukulele series of book the chords are actually listing in their order of appearance. And, are always the basic open position chords when possible.

Starting Melody Note and 1st Interval

  • My Funny Valentine is in 4/4, Common Time and the Key of Am/C .
  • Start on Root &aarr; M2.

Intervals Legend: Root=note that begins a scale of the starting key; C is C, D is D, Am is A, Em is E, etc… m=minor; M=Major; P=Perfect; D=Diminished; A=Augmented. • is up/ascending; is down/descending;

Harmonic Analysis (HA) Worksheet

Visit the Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection series of lessons for information on creating your own Harmonic Analysis Worksheet

A re-harmonization, in Red can be a simple, sticking pretty close to the original composer's intentions or complex and a whole new set of chord changes.

Am
/G#
/G
/F#
Am
G#+
Am7
Am6
I
I
I
I

This is the Minor Line Cliche and basically Am Am/G# Am/G, Am/F#. A descending, chromatic line A G# G F# — the Root (A), major seventh (7), minor seventh (b7), and sixth (6), but probably really double flat seventh (bb7). This is a very common mi-labeling of the chords for either marketing purposes as in the Daily Ukes books or the composer simply didn;t know the theory.

* PSHA (Public Service Harmonic Announcement)Don't name chord based their shape — name them based on the their Harmonic Function.. Or simply ask the bass player, hoping they know what they are doing what note they are playing, it is most likely starts with the root of the chord. ;-).

Fmaj7
/E
Dm
/C
Bm7b5
/A
E7/G#
/E
F
Dm
Bm7b5
E7
VI
IV
II
V

B Locrian * B C D E F G A B', a contemporary scale choice

The / , slash chords, the slash note part is typically ignored for the analysis — unless it changes the harmonic function of the chord.

Am
/G#
/G
/F#
Am
G#+
Am7
Am6
I
I
I
I
Fmaj7
/E
Dm7
Dm7b5
G7
F
Dm
Fm
G7
VI
IV
II
V
Cmaj7
Dm7
Em7
Dm7
Cma7
Dm7
Em7
Dm7
C
Dm
Em7
Dm
C
Dm
Em7
Dm
I
II
III
II
I
II
III
II

The C pedal for four (4) measures. On ukulele this is not really possible and still voice the chords across all four strings. So be cure to tell the bass player to pedal a C for those four measures.

Cmaj7
E+7
E7b9
Am7
Gm7
F#7
Fmaj7
Bm7b5
E7b9
Cmaj7
E7
Am
F
E7
I

III7
(V of VI)

VI
VI
II
V

Remember, a Harmonic Analysis/Root Movement Analysis (HA/RMA) is for scale selection and chord substitution. No need for an analysis of single beat, chromatically descending or ascending chords. Two beats chords are the shortest duration that need to be analyzed.

Am
/G#
/G
/F#
Am
G#+
Am7
Am6
I
I
I
I

The above line is the same as the first four measure, the first line of the song.

Fmaj7
Bm7b5
E7b9
Am7
Abm7
Gm7
Gb7#11
F
Bm7b5
E7
Am
C7
VI
II
V
I

III7
(V of VI)

B Locrian * B C D E F G A B', a contemporary scale choice

Fmaj7
Em7
Dm7
G7b9
C6
Bm7b5
E7b9
F
Dm
G7
C
C
VI
II
V
II
IV

Ralph Patt Vanilla Book

Checkout the Ralph Patt Vanilla Book for the Vanilla changes for My Funny Valentine • The Vanilla Book uncovers the basic (“Vanilla”) chord changes to over 400 of the most commonly played jazz standards to help the jazz player learn the basic changes and allow the player to add embellishments and substitutions on a solid framework.

Embellishments to basic chords such as added 6ths, 9ths, 13ths, flat 5ths etc. are usually determined by the melody notes and the style of music being played and finally your ear.

                
            [   Cm         |  Cm maj7    |   Cm7       |   Cm6         |
            |   Ab6        |  Ab6        |   Dm7b5     |   G7          |
            |   Cm         |  Cm maj7    |   Cm7       |   Cm6         |
            |   Ab6        |  Ab6        |   Fm7b5     |   Bb7         |
            ||  Eb   Bb7   |  Eb   Bb7   |   Eb   Bb7  |   Eb    Bb7   |
            |   Eb    G7   |  Cm   Eb7   |   Ab        |   Dm7b5  G7   |
            |   Cm         |  Cm maj7    |   Cm7       |   Cm6         |
            |   Ab         |  G7         |   Cm        |   Bbm7   Eb7  |
            |   Ab         |  Fm7   Bb7  |   Eb        |   Eb          |
            

The Harmonic Analysis (HA)

A Harmonic Analysis (RMA/HA) and its worksheet are intended to show the function of the chords, the harmonic principles used, the keys and tonalities the song explores. And, can be used for scale selections and chord and scale substitutions.

NOTE: A Harmonic Analysis Worksheet is NOT intended to be a lead leadsheet. Minimal roadmap information such as repeats, fine, D.S., D.C., and codas has been used in preparing the worksheets to somewhat mirror the leadsheet in the Daily Ukulele book.

Sections, Verse, Chorus, 1st, 2nd Ending, turnbacks …

The worksheets will show 1st, 2nd Ending, turnbacks, etc. as indicated in the Yellow Book. You should start to recognize that 1st endings typically always return to a previous verse or an section. With a 2nd ending, a transition to a different part of the song, a or chorus. Harmonic Principles are used for these repeats and transitions.

If turnback chords are not indicated for these 1st and 2nd endings in the original Yellow Book leadsheet, recommended chord(s) will be indicated in parentheses or as an alternate harmony in Red . Typically the last measures or turnbacks will be a chord that resolves to and harmonically leads you to the next section or turning you back to the same section. Typically a V or direct substitution of that next chord.

Reference Key

This is the key of the source leadsheet.

  • My Funny Valentine is in 4/4, Common Time and the Key of Am/C .

Harmonic Principles Used:

These are the harmonic principles used in My Funny Valentine.

Nashville Number System (NNS)

Nashville Numbering System always uses four bars/measures per line, no bar lines, and default is each number of the number of beats per bar/measure based on the time signature. If multiple chords in same bar then they are underlined. It can be as simple as converting the Roman Numerals above to Arabic numbers.

At its simplest you simply replace the roman numbers with Arabic numbers. e.g., I becomes 1 , II becomes 2 , etc. The only exception is the bVII7 chord becomes 7 as this borrowed chord from the Mixolydian tonality is so common and the VII (half-diminished seventh) in a major chord is so rare (actually never). And, you could go as far as saying all the modes are numbered: I II III IV V VI VII — just as in the major scale. So calling it a 7 is not that far out.

Check the definitive book Nashville Number System

Scale Selection

Once a Harmonic Analysis has been completed, scale selections can be made. These scale selections can be either vertical or horizontal choices. And, really, only needed if you are going to take a solo or embellish the melody with added notes.

Scale Abbreviation Legend

Traditional Scales: Maj: Major (Ionian), Nat Min: Natural Minor, Dim: Diminished, WT: Whole Tone, Har Min: Harmonic Minor

Contemporary Scales: Minor Pent: Minor Pentatonic, Pent: Major Pentatonic, Blues

Scale/Mode Names: Ion: Ionian (Major), Dor: Dorian (Minor), Phrygian: Phrygian, Lyd: Lydian, Mix: Mixolydian (Dominant), Aeol: Aeolian (Natural Minor), Loc: Locrian

Altered Scales: Mix+4: Mixolydian Plus 4 / Lydian Dominant, Mix-2-6: Mixolydian flat 2, flat 6

Checkout the Lesson Series: Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection or download the Harmonic Analysis for Scale and Chord Selection book. And the QuickStart Series of Scale and Arpeggio books.

RMA book cover QS1UKES book cover

Performance Notes

Curt, your learningukulele.com creator recorded My Favorite Things on his 2002 Midnight at the Jazz Cafe (Guitar) as well as on 2015 How About More Uke? (Ukulele. There is a alos a Premium Play-along track available. Checkout My Favorite Things song page for these.

Links & Resources