Major view
Db major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Gb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Nihat İlhan - Yirmi Bir - Chord
Key Db major – Bb minor Chords Bbm, Ab, Ebm, Gb Easy key G (capo 6)
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Key: Db | A#m | Bbm
Capo: 0
Bbm Ebm Ab Bbm
Gözlerin şiir rengi, saçların akarsular
Ebm Ab Bbm
Bi' yerlerden tanır gibi durma, göğe bakar
Ebm Ab Bbm
Yani sen her bahar yağmuru uyandıran
Ebm Ab Bbm
Benimle konuştukça büyür sevdan
Bbm Ebm Ab Bbm
Rengarenk gözlerin sardı kalbimi, en derinleri
Ebm Ab Bbm
O masum gülüşlerinde kim bilir kaç çiçek gizlidir
Ebm Ab Bbm
Öyle ya, çok gençsin yaşın daha 21
Ebm Ab Bbm
Benimle konuştuğun her lafında bi' ciddilik
Ab Gb Bbm
Böyle yalnız kalınmaz
Ab Gb Bbm
Böyle yalnız yaşanmaz
Ab Bbm Gb Ab
Uzaktan yerli yersiz konuşmaz
Gb Bbm
Seninle yalnız kalınmaz
Bbm Ebm Ab Bbm
Ben de nev-i şahsına münhasır biriyim
Ebm Ab Bbm
Bir yanıyla sanayi, bir yanıyla müzisyenim
Ebm Ab Bbm
Hem zaten hayat da ciddi bir espri
Ebm Ab Bbm
Seneler geçtikçe kalmıyor değeri
Ab Gb Bbm
Böyle yalnız kalınmaz
Ab Gb Bbm
Böyle yalnız yaşanmaz
Ab Bbm Gb Ab
Uzaktan yerli yersiz konuşmaz
Gb Bbm
Seninle yalnız kalınmaz
End of song Play again?
Nihat İlhan - Yirmi Bir Tabs
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Harmony analysis
Nihat İlhan – Yirmi Bir: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Bbm and ends on Bbm. Its chords belong to both Db major and Bbm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
Bb minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Gb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Ab (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Bb minor side because it both starts and finishes on Bbm and Bbm is heard 23 times while Db never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Db major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Db or to Bbm; 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 | Db | Tonic — home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| ii | Ebm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Eb · Gb · Bb | 12× |
| iii | Fm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F · Ab · C | — |
| V/vi | F | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | — |
| IV | Gb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Gb · Bb · Db | 8× |
| V | Ab | Dominant — strongest pull home | Ab · C · Eb | 20× |
| vi | Bbm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Bb · Db · F | 23× |
| vii° | Cdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C · Eb · Gb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bbm | Tonic — home | Bb · Db · F | 23× |
| ii° | Cdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · Gb | — |
| III | Db | Relative major — the bright side | Db · F · Ab | — |
| iv | Ebm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Eb · Gb · Bb | 12× |
| v | Fm | Minor dominant — soft pull | F · Ab · C | — |
| V | F | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F · A · C | — |
| VI | Gb | Submediant — warm colour | Gb · Bb · Db | 8× |
| VII | Ab | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Ab · C · Eb | 20× |
Analysis
The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 4 different chords appear 63 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- Ab Bbm DbV → videceptive cadence BbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×14
- Ebm Ab Dbii → Vii → V Bbmiv → VII ×12
- Gb Bbm DbIV → vi BbmVI → iVI → i ×6
- Gb Ab DbIV → VIV → V BbmVI → VIIVI → VII ×2
The move to watch is Ab → Bbm, heard 14 times. From the Bbm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the Db side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected Db, lands on Bbm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Db major pentatonic and Bb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Db – Eb – F – Ab – Bb): start from Db for a brighter phrase, from Bb for a bluesier one.
- Over Bbm, land on Bb, Db, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Ebm, land on Eb, Gb, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
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 Db major shapes
- Capo 1 + C shapes
- Capo 4 + A shapes
- Capo 6 + G shapes
With Bb minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Am shapes
- Capo 6 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Bbm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Bbm, Ab, Ebm, Gb; read them as vi–V–ii–IV in Db or i–VII–iv–VI in Bbm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Ab → Bbm (V → vi in Db, VII → i in Bbm): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. It closes on Bbm, letting the Bbm side have the last word.
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.
Nihat İlhan - Yirmi Bir 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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