Lady Gaga - Poker Face - Chord

Key B major – G# minor Chords Abm, B, E, Gb Easy key G (capo 4)

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Capo 0

Abm

Abm
    I wanna hold em' like they do

In Texas please

Fold em' let em' hit me raise

It baby stay with me 
 Abm
Love game intuiton play the cards

With spades to start

And after he's been hooked

I'll play the one that's on his heart

Abm
Oh, oh, oh

I'll get him hot

Show him what I've got
Abm
Oh, oh, oh

I'll get him hot

Show him what I've got

Abm                            E
    Can't read my, can't read my
                      B
No, he can't read my poker face
   Gb

Abm                            E
    Can't read my, can't read my
                      B
No, he can't read my poker face
   Gb

Abm
    P_p_p_poker face, p_p_poker face

 P_p_p_poker face, p_p_poker face

Abm
    I wanna roll with him

A hard pair we will be
B
A little gambiling is fun

When you're with me 
Abm
Russian Roulette is not the same

Without a gun
     B
And baby when it's love

If it's not rough it isn't fun, fun

Abm
Oh, oh, oh
B
  I'll get him hot, show him what I've got
Abm
Oh, oh, oh
B
  I'll get him hot, show him what I've got

Abm                            E
    Can't read my, can't read my
                      B
No, he can't read my poker face
   Gb

Abm                            E
    Can't read my, can't read my
                      B
No, he can't read my poker face
   Gb

Abm
    P_p_p_poker face, p_p_poker face

 P_p_p_poker face, p_p_poker face

         Abm
I won't tell you that I love

Kiss or hug you

'Cause I'm bluffin' with my muffin

I'm not lying

I'm just stunnin' with my love_glue_gunning
Abm
    Just like a chick in the casino

Take your bank before I pay you out

I promise this, promise this

Check this hand 'cause I'm marvelous

Abm                            E
    Can't read my, can't read my
                      B
No, he can't read my poker face
   Gb

Abm                            E
    Can't read my, can't read my
                      B
No, he can't read my poker face
   Gb

Abm                            E
    Can't read my, can't read my
                      B
No, he can't read my poker face
   Gb

Abm                            E
    Can't read my, can't read my
                      B
No, he can't read my poker face
   Gb

Abm                        E
    P_p_p_poker face, p_p_poker face
B                        Gb
  P_p_p_poker face, p_p_poker face
Abm                        E
    P_p_p_poker face, p_p_poker face
B                        Gb        Abm
  P_p_p_poker face, p_p_poker face

End of song Play again?

Lady Gaga - Poker Face Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Lady Gaga – Poker Face: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Abm and ends on Abm. Its chords belong to both B major and G#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

B major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = A# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = E (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

G# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G# minor side because it both starts and finishes on G#m and G#m is heard 24 times against 14 for B. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from B 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 B or to G#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.

Seen from B major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	B	Tonic — home	B · D# · F#	14×
ii	C#m	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G#	—
iii	D#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D# · F# · A#	—
V/vi	D#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	D# · G · A#	—
IV	E	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G# · B	10×
V	Gb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Gb · Bb · Db	10×
vi	Abm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Ab · Cb · Eb	24×
vii°	A#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A# · C# · E	—

Seen from G# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Abm	Tonic — home	Ab · Cb · Eb	24×
ii°	A#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A# · C# · E	—
III	B	Relative major — the bright side	B · D# · F#	14×
iv	C#m	Subdominant — moves away from home	C# · E · G#	—
v	D#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	D# · F# · A#	—
V	D#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	D# · G · A#	—
VI	E	Submediant — warm colour	E · G# · B	10×
VII	Gb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Gb · Bb · Db	10×

Analysis

The key pair is B major and its relative G# minor (5 sharps). 4 different chords appear 58 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

E B BIV → Iplagal cadence G#mVI → III ×10
Gb Abm BV → videceptive cadence G#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×10

The move to watch is E → B, heard 10 times. From the G#m side it is VI → III; from the B side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

Capo 2 + A shapes
Capo 4 + G shapes
Capo 7 + E shapes

With G# minor shapes

Capo 4 + Em shapes
Capo 6 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch
1 semitone up

The song's harmonic story

The opening Abm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Abm, B, E, Gb; read them as vi–I–IV–V in B or i–III–VI–VII in G#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on E → B (IV → I in B, VI → III in G#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is Abm; the ear comes to rest in G#m.

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.