Shawn Mendes - Wonder - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords E, Gbm, Dbm, A, Am Easy key G

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Capo 0

E  Gbm  Dbm  A  Am
  
   E
I wonder if I'm being real
 Gbm
Do I speak my truth or do 

I filter how I feel
   Dbm
I wonder, wouldn't it be nice
    A
To live inside a world 

That isn't black and white
   E
I wonder what it's like 

To be my friends
 Gbm
Hope that they don't think 

I forget about them
   Dbm       A
I Wonder, I Wonder

 E
Right before I close my eyes
    Gbm
The only thing that's on my mind
       Dbm
Been dreaming that you feel it, too
   A                Am
I wonder what it's like to be loved by
E        Gbm
You, Yeah
                        Dbm
I wonder what it's like
   A
I wonder what it's like to be loved by
 
   E
I wonder why I'm so afraid
    Gbm
Of saying something wrong

I never said I was a saint
   Dbm
I wonder when I cry into my hands
        A
I'm conditioned to feel 

Like it makes me less of a man
       E
And I wonder if someday 

You'll be by my side
     Gbm
And tell me that the world 

Will end up alright
Dbm           A
     I wonder,    I wonder
 
 E
Right before I close my eyes
    Gbm
The only thing that's on my mind
       Dbm
Been dreaming that you feel it, too
   A                Am
I wonder what it's like to be loved by
E        Gbm
You, Yeah
                        Dbm
I wonder what it's like
   A
I wonder what it's like to be loved by you 

I wonder what it's like 
       E                 Gbm
To be loved by you, yeah

I wonder what it's like 
        Dbm      
To be loved by you
   A
I wonder what it's like to be loved by
 E
Right before I close my eyes
    Gbm
The only thing that's on my mind
        Dbm
Been dreaming that you feel it too
   A
I wonder what it's like to be loved by you

End of song Play again?

Shawn Mendes - Wonder Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Shawn Mendes – Wonder: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

E major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

C# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = B (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E major side because it opens on E. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#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 E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	11×
ii	Gbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db	11×
iii	G#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G# · B · D#	—
V/vi	G#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	G# · B# · D#	—
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	11×
iv	Am	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	A · C · E	3×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	—
vi	Dbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab	11×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dbm	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab	11×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	11×
iv	Gbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db	11×
v	G#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	G# · B · D#	—
V	G#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G# · B# · D#	—
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	11×
vi	Am	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E	3×
VII	B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	—

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 5 different chords appear 47 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Am is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Gbm Dbm Eii → vi C#miv → iminor plagal ×11
A E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×7
Am E Eiv → Iminor plagal C#mvi → III ×3

The move to watch is Gbm → Dbm, heard 11 times. From the E side it reads ii → vi; from the C#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

E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gbm, land on Gb, A, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Dbm, land on Db, Fb, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On Am, follow the chord's notes (A · C · E) 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 E major shapes

No capo — open E shapes
Capo 2 + D shapes
Capo 4 + C shapes

With C# minor shapes

Capo 4 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

3 semitones up
2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on E, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. E, Gbm, Dbm, A carry the song: I–ii–vi–IV relative to E, III–iv–i–VI relative to C#m. Am briefly darkens the picture: minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minor. Keep an ear on Gbm → Dbm (ii → vi in E, iv → i in C#m): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. Ending on A, the song seals E 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.