Here are the fingerings that I use to play a chord-melody arrangement of Oscar Hammerstein II and Jerome Kern's 1939 standard All The Things You Are from "Very Warm for May." I play it in the key of F not the original key of Ab. The song is played in a medium 4/4 time. Alternate chord substitutions are indicated in parentheses above the chord I used.
K. J. McElrath, Musicologist for JazzStandards.com, explains: "This is a deceptively simple composition showing strong Romantic/Impressionist influences. The harmonic progression in the first five measures is identical to that of (the latter written) Fly Me To The Moon. However, where the latter piece returns to its initial key by way of a viiø7 going to V7, this one uses the clever device of a “common-tone” chord to modulate to an entirely new key and then goes on to do this three more times. The best example of this is at the end of “B2”. The melody lands on G#, the third of the underlying chord of E. Then, by moving one note of the chord – B to C – it becomes a pivotal C+, allowing for an easy return to F minor. Because of its “pan-tonal” nature, many inexperienced performers are intimidated by this piece in the beginning. As always, the melody should be learned “as is” before attempting improvisation. Keeping in mind that both “A’s” and both “B’s” are built on the same patterns in different keys will make mastery of this piece easier. Also realize that the common tone of the modulation is actually in the melody the first four times."
