Dua Lipa - New Rules - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords Am, F, G Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

Am
One, one, one

Am
Talkin in my sleep at night
              F
Makin myself crazy
F
(Out of my mind, out of my mind)
Am
Wrote it down and read it out
Hopin it would save me
F
(Too many times, too many times)
Am
My love, he makes me feel like nobody else
F
Nobody else
Am
But my love, he doesn't love me, so I tell myself
F
I tell myself


Am
One, don't pick up the phone
F                             G
You know he's only calling 'cause he's drunk and alone
Am
Two, don't let him in
F                        G
You'll have to kick him out again
Am
Three, don't be his friend
F                                 G
You know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning
Am                       F                  G
And if you're under him, you ain't getting over him


I got new rules, I count 'em
Am
F                G
I got new rules, I count 'em
Am
F                  G
I gotta tell them to myself
Am
F                 G
I got new rules, I count 'em
Am
F                 G
I gotta tell them to myself


Am
I keep pushin' forwards, but he keeps pullin' me backwards
F
(Nowhere to turn) no way
(Nowhere to turn) no
Am
Now I'm standing back from it, I finally see the pattern
F
(I never learn, I never learn)
Am
But my love, he doesn't love me, so I tell myself
I tell myself
F
I do, I do, I do


Am
One, don't pick up the phone
F                             G
You know he's only calling 'cause he's drunk and alone
Am
Two, don't let him in
F                        G
You'll have to kick him out again
Am
Three, don't be his friend
F                                 G
You know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning
Am                       F                  G
And if you're under him, you ain't getting over him


I got new rules, I count 'em
Am
F                G
I got new rules, I count 'em
Am
F                  G
I gotta tell them to myself
Am
F                 G
I got new rules, I count 'em
Am
F                 G
I gotta tell them to myself


Am
Practice makes perfect
F                G
I'm still tryna' learn it by heart
(I got new rules, I count 'em)
Am
Eat, sleep, and breathe it
F               G
Rehearse and repeat it, 'cause I
Am
(I got new, I got new, I)


Am
One, don't pick up the phone
F                             G
You know he's only calling 'cause he's drunk and alone
Am
Two, don't let him in
F                        G
You'll have to kick him out again
Am
Three, don't be his friend
F                                 G
You know you're gonna wake up in his bed in the morning
Am                       F                  G
And if you're under him, you ain't getting over him


I got new rules, I count 'em
Am
F                G
I got new rules, I count 'em
Am
F                  G
I gotta tell them to myself
Am
F                 G
I got new rules, I count 'em
Am
F                 G
I gotta tell them to myself


Am
Don't let him in, don't let him in
F               G
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Am
Don't be his friend, don't be his friend
F               G
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Am
Don't let him in, don't let him in
F               G
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Am
Don't be his friend, don't be his friend
F               G
Don't, don't, don't, don't
Am
You gettin over him

End of song Play again?

Dua Lipa - New Rules Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Dua Lipa – New Rules: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am and ends on Am. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = G (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A minor side because it both starts and finishes on Am and Am is heard 40 times while C never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C 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 C or to Am; 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.

Seen from C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	—
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	38×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	30×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	40×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	40×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	—
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	38×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	30×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 3 different chords appear 108 times in total; 3 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

G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×30
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×30
F Am CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×7

The move to watch is G → Am, heard 30 times. From the Am side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the C side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected C, lands on Am). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over F, land on F, A, C — 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.

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 C major shapes

No capo — open C shapes
Capo 3 + A shapes
Capo 5 + G shapes

With A minor shapes

No capo — open Am shapes
Capo 5 + Em shapes
Capo 7 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Am, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Am, F, G; read them as vi–IV–V in C or i–VI–VII in Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on G → Am (V → vi in C, VII → i in Am): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. The final chord is Am; the ear comes to rest in Am.

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.