Major view
G major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = F# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = C (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Ariana Grande - Santa Tell Me - Chord
Key G major – E minor Chords C, G, D, Em, Bm, G7, Cm, Eb … Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: G | Em
Capo: 0
G C Em D
G C
Santa tell me if you're really there
Em
Don't make me fall in love again
D G
If he won't be here next year
C
Santa tell me if he really cares
Em D G
Cause I can give it all away if he won't be here next year
Bm
Feeling Christmas all around
G7
And I'm trying to play it cool
C Cm G
But it's hard to focus when I see him walking 'cross the room
Bm
Let it snow, is blasting now
G7
But I won't get it in the mood
C Cm G
I'm avoiding every mistletoe until I know it's true love
Bm C
That he thinks of
Bm C Em D
So next Christmas I'm not all alone boy
G C
Santa tell me if you're really there
Em
Don't make me fall in love again
D G
If he won't be here next year
C
Santa tell me if he really cares
Em D G
Cause I can give it all away if he won't be here next year
Bm
I've been down this road before
G7
Fell in love on Christmas night
C Cm G
But I knew you say I woke up and you wasn't by my side
Bm
Now I need someone to hold
G7
Be my fire in the cold
C Cm G
But it's hard to tell if this is just a fling or if it's true love
Bm C Bm
That he thinks of
C Bm C D
So next Christmas I'm not all alone boy
G C
Santa tell me if you're really there
Em
Don't make me fall in love again
D G
If he won't be here next year
C
Santa tell me if he really cares
Em D Em
Cause I can give it all away if he won't be here next year
D C D Em
Oh I wanna have him beside me like ooh
D C D Em
On the 25th by the fireplace ooh
Eb G/D Gbm/C# C
But I don't want no broken heart
D
This year I got to be smart
G C
Oh baby
Em D
If he won't be, if he won't be here
G C
Santa tell me if you're really there
Em
Don't make me fall in love again
D G
If he won't be here next year
C
Santa tell me if he really cares
Em D G
Cause I can give it all away if he won't be here next year
G C
Santa tell me if you're really there
Em
Don't make me fall in love again
D G
If he won't be here next year
C
Santa tell me if he really cares
Em D G
Cause I can give it all away if he won't be here next year
End of song Play again?
Ariana Grande - Santa Tell Me Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Ariana Grande – Santa Tell Me: key and chord analysis
The song opens on G and ends on G. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
E minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = D (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the G major side because it both starts and finishes on G and G is heard 25 times against 16 for Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from E minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; 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 | G | Tonic — home | G · B · D | 20× |
| I | G/D | Tonic — home | G · B · D | 1× |
| V7/IV | G7 | Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Csecondary dominant | G · B · D · F | 4× |
| ii | Am | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · E | — |
| iii | Bm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | B · D · F# | 9× |
| V/vi | B | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant | B · D# · F# | — |
| IV | C | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · E · G | 24× |
| iv | Cm | Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | C · Eb · G | 4× |
| V | D | Dominant — strongest pull home | D · F# · A | 19× |
| bVI | Eb | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | Eb · G · Bb | 1× |
| vi | Em | Relative minor — the melancholy side | E · G · B | 16× |
| vii° | F#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F# · A · C | — |
| vii | Gbm/C# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Gb · A · Db | 1× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Em | Tonic — home | E · G · B | 16× |
| ii° | F#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C | — |
| ii | Gbm/C# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Gb · A · Db | 1× |
| III | G | Relative major — the bright side | G · B · D | 20× |
| III | G/D | Relative major — the bright side | G · B · D | 1× |
| V7/VI | G7 | Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Csecondary dominant | G · B · D · F | 4× |
| iv | Am | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C · E | — |
| v | Bm | Minor dominant — soft pull | B · D · F# | 9× |
| V | B | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | B · D# · F# | — |
| VI | C | Submediant — warm colour | C · E · G | 24× |
| vi | Cm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · Eb · G | 4× |
| VII | D | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | D · F# · A | 19× |
| #VII | Eb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Eb · G · Bb | 1× |
Analysis
The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 10 different chords appear 99 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. G7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Cm, Eb are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×14
- C Em GIV → vi EmVI → iVI → i ×13
- Cm G Giv → Iminor plagal Emvi → III ×4
- G7 C GV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution EmV7/VI → VI ×4
- C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×4
- D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
The move to watch is D → G, heard 14 times. From the G side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Em side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — 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.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On Cm, follow the chord's notes (C · Eb · G) 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 G major shapes
- No capo — open G shapes
- Capo 3 + E shapes
- Capo 5 + D shapes
With E minor shapes
- No capo — open Em shapes
- Capo 2 + Dm shapes
- Capo 7 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is G; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are C, G, D, Em; read them as IV–I–V–vi in G or VI–III–VII–i in Em. G7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to C. Keep an ear on D → G (V → I in G, VII → III in Em): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is G; the ear comes to rest in G.
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.
Ariana Grande - Santa Tell Me 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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