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Learning Ukulele with Curt

By The Beautiful Sea

Harmonic Analysis (RMA) Worksheet for the song: "Bye The Beautiful Sea".

Author(s): Curt Sheller Publisher: Curt Sheller Publications Code: ULHA-YB-42

Main Category: Harmonic-Analysis Main Instrument: Any

Categories: Theory, Intervals, Progressions, RMA, Harmony

Louis-Martin/Curt-2020-FFUF

2026-08-23

By The Beautiful Sea

Harmonic Analysis (RMA) Worksheet for the song: Bye The Beautiful Sea.

By The Beautiful Sea

Released: March 1957

By The Beautiful Sea is a popular song published in 1914, with music written by Harry Carroll and lyrics written by Harold R. Atteridge. The melody was composed on the terrace of Reisenweber's Brighton Beach Casino. The sheet music was published by Shapiro, Bernstein & Co.

The song was originally recorded by the Heidelberg Quintet, topping the early American music charts for six weeks in the summer of 1914, during the outbreak of World War I. Other popular recordings in 1914 were by Ada Jones & Billy Watkins, and by Prince's Orchestra. wikiwand

Yellow Book

By The Beautiful Sea 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

G7 C F Em A7 D7

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.

G7 C F Em A7 D7

Starting Melody Note and 1st Interval

  • By The Beautiful Sea is in 4/4, Cut Time and the Key of C .
  • Start on P5 ↑ m2 ↑ 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

DS
G7
G7
G7
G7
V

Typically you don't need a D.S. sign at the begging of a song, as a D.C. would instruct to go back to the beginning. However, there are two pickup notes for By The Beautiful Sea so the D.S. sign was included on the RMA/Roadmap.

To Coda Coda
C
C
C
C
I
C
C
G7
G7
I
V

D.S. al Coda

G7
G7
C

N.C.

C
V
I
Coda

Coda

F
F
Em
A7
IV
II

VI7
(V of II)

E Dorian

A Mix, optional (+4)

The Em A7 typically resolves to D major. As the D7 is a major chord type we can hear the resolution. If it was D we could have called this an Internal MOdulation to the Key of D. It also fits the definition of a Cycle of three seventh chords, a perfect four apart. With the fist seventh A7 preceded by its II chord Em – a classic II V . The D7 is actually a double function chord, part of the II V I harmonic cell as well as the VI7 II7 V7 Cycle.

D7
G7
C
C
II7
V
I

D Mix+4

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 A section. With a 2nd ending, a transition to a different part of the song, a B 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.

  • By The Beautiful Sea is in 4/4, Cut Time and the Key of C .

Harmonic Principles Used:

These are the harmonic principles used in By The Beautiful Sea.

RMA1

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

Links & Resources

art by Curt Sheller

End of Lesson - Thanks, Hope You Enjoyed It!

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