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All by Myself by Irving Berlin

Piano chords, voicings & structure breakdown · 29 steps · 14 unique chords

A Section 1Step 1 of 29

Cmaj7

LeftC2, G2RightB3, E4, G4
C4C2G2B3E4G4
Left hand Right hand Middle C (C4)

No source cited for this step

Harmonic Analysis & Structure

Overview

Key: C major · Chords used: 14 · Sections: 4

Form: A Section → B Section → A Section → C Section

Where these chords come from: a chord chart of this song written by a musician and shared on the iReal Pro forums, archived in the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). It's one musician's reading of the song, not a transcription checked against the recording. This page shows that chart as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

A Section 1

  • Cmaj7 – D7 – G7 – Em7 – A7 – Dm7 – G7
    Imaj7 – II7 – V7 – iii7 – VI7 – ii7 – V7

B Section

  • Cmaj7 – F♯m7♭5 – B7 – E7 – Am7 – D7 – Dm7 – G7
    Imaj7 – #ivø7 – VII7 – III7 – vi7 – II7 – ii7 – V7

A Section 2

  • Cmaj7 – D7 – G7 – E7
    Imaj7 – II7 – V7 – III7

C Section

  • Fmaj7 – F♯dim7 – Cmaj7/G – A7 – D7 – G7 – C6 – Am7 – Dm7 – G7
    IVmaj7 – #iv°7 – Imaj⁴₃ – VI7 – II7 – V7 – I6 – vi7 – ii7 – V7

Chord vocabulary

ChordRoman numeralRoleHeard in
Cmaj7Imaj7Home chord (tonic)A Section, B Section
D7II7Secondary dominant (V/V)A Section, B Section, C Section
G7V7In the keyA Section, B Section, C Section
Em7iii7In the keyA Section
A7VI7Secondary dominant (V/ii)A Section, C Section
Dm7ii7In the keyA Section, B Section, C Section
F♯m7♭5#ivø7Outside the key (chromatic)B Section
B7VII7Outside the key (chromatic)B Section
E7III7Secondary dominant (V/vi)B Section, A Section
Am7vi7In the keyB Section, C Section
Fmaj7IVmaj7In the keyC Section
F♯dim7#iv°7Outside the key (chromatic)C Section
Cmaj7/GImaj⁴₃Home chord (tonic)C Section
C6I6Home chord (tonic)C Section

Harmonic highlights

  • D7 acts as V/V: it resolves to G7.
  • A7 acts as V/ii: it resolves to Dm7.
  • E7 acts as V/vi: it resolves to Am7.

Sources & accuracy

  • Chords: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “All By Myself” (credited “Berlin Irving”, style Medium Swing) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer/songwriter confirmed from Wikidata.
  • Section names: from the chart's own markings: section names written on the chart (Intro, Verse, Chorus…) are kept, and rehearsal letters are shown as “A Section”, “B Section” and so on (the B of an AABA song is called the Bridge).
  • Cross-check: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “All By Myself” (credited “Berlin Irving”, style Medium Up Swing) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer/songwriter confirmed from Wikidata. A separately posted chart of the same song; its chords match this page's closely when both are read in the same key (similarity 67%).
  • Chord charts are often written in a key that suits a particular singer or band, so this may not be the key of the original recording.
  • About the song: Wikipedia.
  • Verified: two community charts of this song, posted in different forum threads, agree on its harmony. They're still charts, not transcriptions checked against the recording.
  • Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.

Sources & Accuracy

Every chord on this page comes from the community chart listed first below. Piano voicings are our arrangement of the reported chord symbols, not a note-for-note transcription.

  • Chords from a chart a musician wrote and shared on the iReal Pro forums (archived in the ChoCo research dataset); may be in a different key from the recording, and not checked against it.

    Community chord chart “All By Myself” (credited “Berlin Irving”, style Medium Swing) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer/songwriter confirmed from Wikidata.

  • Chords from a chart a musician wrote and shared on the iReal Pro forums (archived in the ChoCo research dataset); may be in a different key from the recording, and not checked against it.

    Community chord chart “All By Myself” (credited “Berlin Irving”, style Medium Up Swing) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer/songwriter confirmed from Wikidata. A separately posted chart of the same song; its chords match this page's closely when both are read in the same key (similarity 67%).

All Piano Voicings

#SectionChordLeft handRight handSources
1A Section 1Cmaj7C2, G2B3, E4, G4—
2A Section 1D7D2, A2C4, F♯4, A4—
3A Section 1G7G2, D3D4, F4, B4—
4A Section 1Em7E2, B2D4, G4, B4—
5A Section 1A7A2, E3E4, G4, C♯5—
6A Section 1Dm7D2, A2F4, A4, C5—
7A Section 1G7G2, D3F4, B4, D5—
8B SectionCmaj7C2, G2G4, B4, E5—
9B SectionF♯m7♭5F♯2, F♯3A4, C5, E5—
10B SectionB7B1, F♯2F♯4, A4, D♯5—
11B SectionE7E2, B2G♯4, B4, D5—
12B SectionAm7A2, E3G4, C5, E5—
13B SectionD7D2, A2F♯4, A4, C5—
14B SectionDm7D2, A2F4, A4, C5—
15B SectionG7G2, D3F4, B4, D5—
16A Section 2Cmaj7C2, G2G4, B4, E5—
17A Section 2D7D2, A2F♯4, A4, C5—
18A Section 2G7G2, D3F4, B4, D5—
19A Section 2E7E2, B2G♯4, B4, D5—
20C SectionFmaj7F2, C3A4, C5, E5—
21C SectionF♯dim7F♯2, F♯3A4, C5, E♭5—
22C SectionCmaj7/GG2G4, B4, C5, E5—
23C SectionA7A2, E3G4, C♯5, E5—
24C SectionD7D2, A2F♯4, A4, C5—
25C SectionG7G2, D3F4, B4, D5—
26C SectionC6C2, G2G4, A4, E5—
27C SectionAm7A2, E3G4, C5, E5—
28C SectionDm7D2, A2F4, A4, C5—
29C SectionG7G2, D3F4, B4, D5—