Major view
Gb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = F (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Cb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Miley Cyrus - When I Look At You - Chord
Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords C, Bb, Dm, F, Am Easy key Ab
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Key: Gb | D#m | Ebm
Capo: 0
Dm F C Bb
Dm F
Everybody needs inspiration
C Bb
Everybody needs a song
Dm F C Bb
A beautiful melody, when the nights so long
Am Bb
Cause there is no guarantee
F C
That this life is easy
F C
When my world is falling apart,
Dm Bb
when there is no light to break up the dark
F C Dm Bb
That's when I I look at you
F C
When the waves are flooding the shore and I
Dm Bb
can't find my way home anymore
F C Dm Bb
That's when I I look at you
When I look at you
Dm F C Bb
I see forgiveness, I see the truth
Dm F C
You love me for who I am like the stars
Bb
hold the moon
Am Bb F
Right there where they belong and I know
C
I'm not alone
F C
When my world is falling apart,
Dm Bb
when there is no light to break up the dark
F C Dm Bb
That's when I I look at you
F C
When the waves are flooding the shore and I
Dm Bb
can't find my way home anymore
F C Dm Bb
That's when I I look at you
When I look at you
Am Bb C Dm
You appear just like a dream to me
Am Bb C Dm Am
Just like a Kaleydoscope colors that cover me
C C Dm
All I need every breath that I breathe
Am Bb C F C Dm Bb
Don't you know you're beautifuuuuul, yeah, Oh Oh
F C
When the waves are flooding the shore and I
Dm Bb
can't find my way home anymore
F C Dm Bb
That's when I I look at you
Am Bb C Bb
You appear just like a dream to me.
End of song Play again?
Miley Cyrus - When I Look At You Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Miley Cyrus – When I Look At You: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Dm and ends on Bb. Its chords belong to both Gb major and Ebm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
Eb minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Db (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = D (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 Eb minor side because the major V chord points straight at Ebm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Gb 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 Gb or to Ebm; 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 | Gb | Tonic — home | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| ii | Abm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Ab · Cb · Eb | — |
| biii | Am | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | A · C · E | 7× |
| iii | Bbm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | Bb · Db · F | — |
| III | Bb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · D · F | 23× |
| IV | Cb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Cb · Eb · Gb | — |
| #IV | C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 24× |
| V | Db | Dominant — strongest pull home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| bvi | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 19× |
| vi | Ebm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| vii° | Fdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| V/iii | F | Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | 18× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Ebm | Tonic — home | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| ii° | Fdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| V/v | F | Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant | F · A · C | 18× |
| III | Gb | Relative major — the bright side | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| iv | Abm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Ab · Cb · Eb | — |
| #iv | Am | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | A · C · E | 7× |
| v | Bbm | Minor dominant — soft pull | Bb · Db · F | — |
| V | Bb | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Bb · D · F | 23× |
| VI | Cb | Submediant — warm colour | Cb · Eb · Gb | — |
| #VI | C | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G | 24× |
| VII | Db | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Db · F · Ab | — |
| #vii | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 19× |
Analysis
The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 5 different chords appear 91 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Ebm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull. F acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.
Improvisation tips
- Gb major pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – Eb): start from Gb for a brighter phrase, from Eb for a bluesier one.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Bb comes, swap the scale's Db for D: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
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 Gb major shapes
- Capo 2 + E shapes
- Capo 4 + D shapes
- Capo 6 + C shapes
With Eb minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Dm shapes
- Capo 6 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones up
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on Dm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are C, Bb, Dm, F; read them as #IV–III–bvi–V/iii in Gb or #VI–V–#vii–V/v in Ebm. Bb is the interesting twist: in Gb it is a chromatic chord (III), while in Ebm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. It closes on Bb, letting the Gb 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.
Miley Cyrus - When I Look At You 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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