Major view
E major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Paul Simon - Kodachrome - Chord
Key E major – C# minor Chords A, E, F#m, B, C#m, C#7, F#, F#7 … Easy key G
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Key: E | Dbm | C#m
Capo: 0
E A F#m B E F#m B
E
When I think back
A
on all the crap I learned in high school
F#m
It's a wonder
B E F#m B
I can think at all
E
And though my lack of education
A
hasn't hurt me none
F#m B E
I can read the writing on the wall
A C#7 F#
Kodachroooooome
F#7 Bm E
You give us those nice bright colors
A D
You give us the greens of summers
B E A C#7 F#
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah
F#7 Bm E
I got a Nikon camera
A D
I love to take a photograph
B E A C#m F#m B
So Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away
E
If you took all the girls I knew
A
when I was single
F#m B E F#m B
And brought them all together for one night
E
I know they'd never match
A
my sweet imagination
F#m B E
And everything looks worse in black and white
A C#7 F#
Kodachroooooome
F#7 Bm E
You give us those nice bright colors
A D
You give us the greens of summers
B E A C#7 F#
Makes you think all the world's a sunny day, oh yeah
F#7 Bm E
I got a Nikon camera
A D
I love to take a photograph
B E A C#m F#m
So Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away
A C#m F#m
Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away
A C#m F#m
Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away
A C#m F#m
Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away
A
Mama, don't take my Kodachrome
C#m
Mama, don't take my Kodachrome
F#m
Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away
A
Mama, don't take my Kodachrome
C#m
Leave your boy so far from home
F#m
Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away
A C#m
Mama, don't take my Kodachrome wheww
F#m
Mama, don't take my Kodachrome away
A C#m F#m
End of song Play again?
Paul Simon - Kodachrome Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Paul Simon – Kodachrome: key and chord analysis
The song opens on E and ends on F#m. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
C# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E major side because it opens on E and E is heard 18 times against 9 for C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#m; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.
Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | E | Tonic — home | E · G# · B | 18× |
| ii | F#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C# | 17× |
| V/V | F# | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Bsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# | 4× |
| V7/V | F#7 | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Bsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# · E | 4× |
| iii | G#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | G# · B · D# | — |
| V/vi | G# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to C#msecondary dominant | G# · B# · D# | — |
| IV | A | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C# · E | 22× |
| V | B | Dominant — strongest pull home | B · D# · F# | 13× |
| v | Bm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D · F# | 4× |
| vi | C#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | C# · E · G# | 9× |
| V7/ii | C#7 | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to F#msecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# · B | 4× |
| bVII | D | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | D · F# · A | 4× |
| vii° | D#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | D# · F# · A | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | C#m | Tonic — home | C# · E · G# | 9× |
| V7/iv | C#7 | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to F#msecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# · B | 4× |
| bII | D | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | D · F# · A | 4× |
| ii° | D#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D# · F# · A | — |
| III | E | Relative major — the bright side | E · G# · B | 18× |
| iv | F#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | F# · A · C# | 17× |
| IV | F# | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | F# · A# · C# | 4× |
| IV7 | F#7 | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | F# · A# · C# · E | 4× |
| v | G#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | G# · B · D# | — |
| V | G# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | G# · B# · D# | — |
| VI | A | Submediant — warm colour | A · C# · E | 22× |
| VII | B | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | B · D# · F# | 13× |
| vii | Bm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D · F# | 4× |
Analysis
The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 10 different chords appear 99 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. C#7, F#, F#7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. D is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- B E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×13
- F#m B Eii → Vii → V C#miv → VII ×9
- A C#m EIV → vi C#mVI → iVI → i ×9
- C#7 F# EV7/ii → V/Vsecondary resolution C#mV7/iv → IV ×4
- F#7 Bm EV7/V → vsecondary resolution C#mIV7 → vii ×4
The move to watch is B → E, heard 13 times. From the E side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the C#m side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over F#m, land on F#, A, C# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On D, follow the chord's notes (D · F# · A) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.
The song on the circle of fifths
- Played in the song — chord of the key
- Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
- Played — borrowed or outside chord
- Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii
Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.
Capo and easier keys
With E major shapes
- No capo — open E shapes
- Capo 2 + D shapes
- Capo 4 + C shapes
With C# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 3 semitones up
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is E; the ear learns where home is within a second. A, E, F#m, B carry the song: IV–I–ii–V relative to E, VI–III–iv–VII relative to C#m. C#7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/ii — leads to F#m. Keep an ear on B → E (V → I in E, VII → III in C#m): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is F#m; the ear comes to rest in E.
This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.
Paul Simon - Kodachrome Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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