Major view
F major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = E (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Bb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Twenty One Pilots - Christmas Saves The Year - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords F, Dm, C, Bb, G, Bb/A, A, A7 … Easy key G
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
Bb/A yerine Dm kullanabilirsiniz
You can use Dm instead of Bb/A
F C Dm
Snow falls down from the gray sky
Bb Bb/A G
Ashes fall in the sea
F C Dm
Plans are thrown to the wayside
Bb Bb/A G
Frozen days of the week
F A Dm
But everybody wants to make it home this year
Bb Dm C
Even if the world is crumblin' down
F A7 Dm C
'Cause everybody's got somebody who's got their name on a shelf with cheap decor and flavored cheer
C7
You rest assured that Christmas saves the year
F C Dm F Bb Bb/A G
F C Dm
Dust off old photo boxes
Bb Bb/A G
This one's marked '92, yeah
F C Dm
Years past seemed so much grander
Bb Bb/A G
This one needs to come through
F A Dm
'Cause evеrybody wants to make it home this year
Bb Dm C
Evеn if the world is crumblin' down
F A7 Dm C
'Cause everybody's got somebody who's got their name on a shelf with cheap decor and flavored cheer
C7
You rest assured that Christmas saves the year
F C Dm F Bb Bb/A G
F C Dm
Bum-bum-bum, bum-bum-bum-bum
Bb Bb/A
Bum-bum-bum, bum-bum-bum-bum-bum
G
Bum-bum-bum-bum
F A Dm
Everybody wants to make it home this year
Bb Dm C
Even if the world is crumblin' down
F A7 Dm C
'Cause everybody's got somebody who's got their name on a shelf With cheap decor and flavored cheer
C7
You rest assured
F A Dm
Everybody wants to make it home this year
Bb Dm C
Even if the world is crumblin' down
F A7 Dm C
'Cause everybody's got somebody who's got their name on a shelf With cheap decor and flavored cheer
C7
You rest assured, Christmas saves the year
F G F G
Ho ho ho
End of song Play again?
Twenty One Pilots - Christmas Saves The Year Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Twenty One Pilots – Christmas Saves The Year: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F and ends on G. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
D minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = C# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between F major and D minor because it opens on F and the major V chord points straight at Dm. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to F or to Dm; 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 | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 19× |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | — |
| V/V | G | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant | G · B · D | 9× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | — |
| V/vi | A | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | 4× |
| V7/vi | A7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E · G | 4× |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 11× |
| IV | Bb/A | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 7× |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 15× |
| V7 | C7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G · Bb | 4× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | 19× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | 19× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 19× |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | — |
| IV | G | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | G · B · D | 9× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | — |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | 4× |
| V7 | A7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E · G | 4× |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 11× |
| VI | Bb/A | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 7× |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 15× |
| VII7 | C7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G · Bb | 4× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 9 different chords appear 92 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A / A7 is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm. G acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×7
- A Dm FV/vi → vi DmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×4
- C F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×4
- A7 Dm FV7/vi → visecondary resolution DmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×4
- C7 F FV7 → Iauthentic cadence DmVII7 → III ×4
- Bb Dm FIV → vi DmVI → iVI → i ×4
The move to watch is C → Dm, heard 7 times. From the F side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected F, lands on Dm); from the Dm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When A comes, swap the scale's C for C#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
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 F major shapes
- Capo 1 + E shapes
- Capo 3 + D shapes
- Capo 5 + C shapes
With D minor shapes
- No capo — open Dm shapes
- Capo 5 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones up
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is F; the ear learns where home is within a second. F, Dm, C, Bb carry the song: I–vi–V–IV relative to F, III–i–VII–VI relative to Dm. A is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on C → Dm (V → vi in F, VII → i in Dm): deceptive cadence — expected F, lands on Dm. The final chord is G; the ear comes to rest in F.
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.
Twenty One Pilots - Christmas Saves The Year 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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