Sam Smith - Latch - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords Ab, Fm, Db Easy key G (capo 1)

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Ab         Fm                Db            Ab 
You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down 
Ab        Fm            Db               Ab
You, you enchant me even when you're not around 
Ab          Fm                 Db                Ab
If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down 
Ab          Fm              Db               Ab
I'm latching on, babe, now I know what I have found 

Ab                      Fm
     I feel we're close enough
             Db           Ab
     I wanna lock in your love
Ab                       Fm
     I think we're close enough
             Db           Ab
     Could I lock in your love, baby

Ab                      Fm
Now I got you in my space
             Db           Ab
I won't let go of you 
Ab                       Fm
Got you shackled in my embrace
        Db           Ab
I'm latching on to you 

Ab                      Fm
Now I got you in my space
             Db           Ab
I won't let go of you 
Ab                       Fm
Got you shackled in my embrace
        Db           Ab
I'm latching on to you 

Ab         Fm                Db            Ab 
I'm so enraptured, got me wrapped up in your touch 
Ab        Fm            Db               Ab
Feel so enamored, hold me tight within your clutch 
Ab          Fm                 Db                Ab
How do you do it, you got me losing every breath 
Ab          Fm              Db               Ab
What did you give me to make my heart beat out my chest 

Ab                      Fm
I feel we're close enough
        Db           Ab
I wanna lock in your love
Ab                       Fm
I think we're close enough
        Db           Ab
Could I lock in your love, baby
Ab                      Fm
I feel we're close enough
        Db           Ab
I wanna lock in your love
Ab                       Fm
I think we're close enough
        Db           Ab
Could I lock in your love, baby

Ab                      Fm
Now I got you in my space
        Db           Ab
I won't let go of you 
Ab                       Fm
Got you shackled in my embrace
        Db           Ab
I'm latching on to you 

Ab                      Fm
Now I got you in my space
        Db           Ab
I won't let go of you 
Ab                       Fm
Got you shackled in my embrace
        Db           Ab
I'm latching on to you 

Ab                      Fm
Latching on to you
        Db           Ab
I won't let go of you 
Ab                       Fm
Latching on to you
        Db           Ab
I won't let go of you

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - Latch Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – Latch: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Ab and ends on Ab. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Ab major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

F minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Ab major side because it both starts and finishes on Ab and Ab is heard 48 times against 24 for Fm. 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 Ab or to Fm; 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 Ab major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Ab	Tonic — home	Ab · C · Eb	48×
ii	Bbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Bb · Db · F	—
iii	Cm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C · Eb · G	—
V/vi	C	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	—
IV	Db	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	24×
V	Eb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	—
vi	Fm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C	24×
vii°	Gdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G · Bb · Db	—

Seen from F minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Fm	Tonic — home	F · Ab · C	24×
ii°	Gdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · Db	—
III	Ab	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	48×
iv	Bbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · Db · F	—
v	Cm	Minor dominant — soft pull	C · Eb · G	—
V	C	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G	—
VI	Db	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	24×
VII	Eb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	—

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 3 different chords appear 96 times in total; 3 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

Db Ab AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×24

The move to watch is Db → Ab, heard 24 times. From the Ab side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Fm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

Capo 1 + G shapes
Capo 4 + E shapes
Capo 6 + D shapes

With F minor shapes

Capo 1 + Em shapes
Capo 3 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

The opening Ab lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Ab, Fm, Db — I–vi–IV from the Ab side, III–i–VI from the Fm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Db → Ab (IV → I in Ab, VI → III in Fm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on Ab, the song seals Ab 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.