Major view
D major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Taylor Swift - Love Story - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords A, G, Bm, D, E, B, C#m Easy key G (capo 7)
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
D A Bm G
D
We were both young when I first saw you
G
I close my eyes and the flashback starts
Bm G
I'm standing there on a balcony in summer air
D
See the lights, see the party, the ball gowns
G
See you make your way through the crowd
Bm
And say, "Hello"
A
Little did I know
G A
That you were Romeo, you were throwing pebbles
Bm D
And my daddy said, "Stay away from Juliet"
G
And I was crying on the staircase
A Bm G A
Begging you please don't go, and I said
D
Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
A
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
Bm
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
G A D
It's a love story baby just say "yes"
D
So I sneak out to the garden to see you
G
We keep quiet 'cause we're dead if they knew
Bm
So close your eyes
A
Escape this town for a little while
G A
'Cause you were Romeo, I was a scarlet letter
Bm D
And my daddy said stay away from Juliet
G
But you were everything to me I was
A Bm G A
Begging you please don't go, and I said
D
Romeo take me somewhere we can be alone
A
I'll be waiting all there's left to do is run
Bm
You'll be the prince and I'll be the princess
G A
It's a love story baby just say yes
D
Romeo, save me, they try to tell me how to feel
A
This love is difficult, but it's real,
Bm
Don't be afraid, we'll make it out of this mess
G A
It's a love story baby just say yes
D A Bm G A
Bm G D A
I got tired of waiting, wondering if you were ever coming around
Bm G
My faith in you was fading
D A
When I met you on the outskirts of town and I said
D
Romeo save me I've been feeling so alone
A
I keep waiting for you but you never come
Bm
Is this in my head, I don't know what to think
G A
He knelt to the ground and pulled out a ring and said
E
Marry me, Juliet you'll never have to be alone
B
I love you, and that's all I really know
C#m
I talked to your dad, go pick out a white dress
A B E
It's a love story baby just say yes
B C#m
Oh oh, oh oh
A E
We were both young when I first saw you
End of song Play again?
Taylor Swift - Love Story Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Taylor Swift – Love Story: key and chord analysis
The song opens on D and ends on E. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between D major and B minor because it opens on D and Bm is heard 15 times against 14 for D. 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 D or to Bm; 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 | D | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 14× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | — |
| V/V | E | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant | E · G# · B | 3× |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | — |
| V/vi | F# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# | — |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 18× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | 23× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 15× |
| V/ii | B | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant | B · D# · F# | 3× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| vii | C#m | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E · G# | 2× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 15× |
| V/iv | B | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant | B · D# · F# | 3× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| ii | C#m | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E · G# | 2× |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 14× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | — |
| IV | E | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | E · G# · B | 3× |
| v | F#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# | — |
| V | F# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F# · A# · C# | — |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 18× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | 23× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 7 different chords appear 78 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. E, B act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×12
- G A DIV → VIV → V BmVI → VIIVI → VII ×11
- A D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×6
- G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×4
- G Bm DIV → vi BmVI → iVI → i ×3
The move to watch is A → Bm, heard 12 times. From the D side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected D, lands on Bm); from the Bm 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
- D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — 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 D major shapes
- No capo — open D shapes
- Capo 2 + C shapes
- Capo 5 + A shapes
With B minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Am shapes
- Capo 7 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on D, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is A, G, Bm, D — V–IV–vi–I from the D side, VII–VI–i–III from the Bm side. E adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to A. Keep an ear on A → Bm (V → vi in D, VII → i in Bm): deceptive cadence — expected D, lands on Bm. Ending on E, the song seals D as home.
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.
Taylor Swift - Love Story 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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