Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
The Rare Occasions - Notion - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords A, Bm, F#m, F, Dmaj7, C#, C#m, E … Easy key C
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
A C#m F#m Dmaj7 F
Bm F#m
Sure it’s a calming notion, perpetual in motion
Bm F#m
But I don’t need the comfort of any lies
Bm F#m A C#
For I have seen the ending and there is no ascending riiise
Bm F#m
Oh back when I was younger, was told by other youngsters
Bm F#m A F#m
That my end will be torture beneath the eeeeeeearth
Bm F#m
‘cuz I don’t see what they see when death is staring at me
Bm C#m Dmaj7 E F#m F
I see a window, a limit, to live it, or not at all
A Dmaj7 F C# A F#m Bm C#m D F
Bm F#m
If you could pull the lever to carry on forever
Bm A F#m C#m
Would your life even matter anymoooooore?
Bm F#m
Sure it’s a calming notion, perpetual in motion
F#m F A
But it’s not what you signed up for
A C# Dmaj7 F
A C# Dmaj7 F
I’m sure there won’t always be sunshine
A C# Dmaj7 F
But there’s this momentary beam of light
A C#
You don’t have to wait those salty decades
Dmaj7 F
To get through the gate it’s all in front of your face
A C# Dmaj7 F
I’m sure there won’t always be sunshine
A C# Dmaj7 F
I’m sure there won’t always be sunshine
A C# Dmaj7 F
But there’s this momentary beam of light
A Bm
I could cross the ocean in a fit of devotion
A Bm
For every shining second this fragile body beckons
A Bm
You think you’re owed it better believing ancient letters
A B Bm A
Sure it’s a calming notion but it’s a lie
End of song Play again?
The Rare Occasions - Notion Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
The Rare Occasions – Notion: key and chord analysis
The song opens on A and ends on A. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = E# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it both starts and finishes on A, A is heard 19 times against 14 for F#m and the major V chord points straight at F#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#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 | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 19× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | 15× |
| V/V | B | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Esecondary dominant | B · D# · F# | 1× |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | 4× |
| V/vi | C# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to F#msecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# | 9× |
| IVmaj7 | Dmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A · C# | 10× |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 1× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 1× |
| bVI | F | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | F · A · C | 12× |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | 14× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | 14× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 19× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | 15× |
| IV | B | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | B · D# · F# | 1× |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | 4× |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | 9× |
| VImaj7 | Dmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A · C# | 10× |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 1× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 1× |
| #VII | F | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · A · C | 12× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 10 different chords appear 86 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of F#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from A, the same C# is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for F#m. B acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. F is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- Bm F#m Aii → vi F#miv → iminor plagal ×8
- E F#m AV → videceptive cadence F#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×1
- C#m F#m Aiii → vi F#mv → inatural-minor cadence ×1
- Dmaj7 E AIVmaj7 → VIV → V F#mVImaj7 → VIIVI → VII ×1
The move to watch is Bm → F#m, heard 8 times. From the A side it reads ii → vi; from the F#m side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — 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.
- Over F#m, land on F#, A, C# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When C# comes, swap the scale's E for E#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On F, follow the chord's notes (F · A · C) 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 A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 3 semitones up
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening A lays a solid floor for everything that follows. A, Bm, F#m, F carry the song: I–ii–vi–bVI relative to A, III–iv–i–#VII relative to F#m. C# is the interesting twist: in A it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in F#m it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Bm → F#m (ii → vi in A, iv → i in F#m): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. It closes on A, letting the A 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.
The Rare Occasions - Notion 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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