Bruno Mars - All I Ask - Chord

Key A major – F# minor Chords E, B, Abm7, A, Gbm, Dbm, F, Dbm7 … Easy key C

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Capo 0

E                       Abm7
I  will leave my heart at the door
          A
I won't say a word
         B
They've all been said before, you know
    E                Abm7
So why don't we just play pretend
                  A
Like we're not scared of what is coming next
                       Abm7
Or scared of having nothing left

        Dbm
Look, don't get me wrong
                      Gbm
I know there is no tomorrow
 B
All I ask is

E             Dbm              Gbm
If this is my last night with you
B                                   E
Hold me like I'm more than just a friend
            E Abm7       Gbm
Give me a memory I can use
B                            E        B Abm7 Dbm7
Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do
      Bm7   E7       Amaj7
It matters how this ends
       Gbm7             B    E
Cause what if I never love again

E  Abm7  A  B7

E                    Abm7                A
I don't need your honesty, it's already in your eyes
                                     B E
And I'm sure my eyes, they speak for me
                 Abm7
No one knows me like you do
      E                A
And since you're the only one that mattered
          B            Abm7
Tell me, who do I run to

      Dbm
Now, don't get me wrong
    B               Gbm  A
I know there is no tomorrow
B
All I ask is

E              Dbm             Gbm
If this is my last night with you
            B                                  E
You better hold me like I'm more than just a friend
           E Dbm       Gbm
Give me a memory I can use
B                             E       B Abm  Dbm
Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do
     Bm              Amaj7 Abm7 Dbm7
It matters how this ends
Gbm7                    Bm   E
Cause what if I never love again

                   A    Db7 Gbm
Let this be our lesson in love
                 B       Eb7    Abm7
Let this be the way we remember us
                   Ab7       Dbm7
I don't wanna be cruel or vicious
              Gbm7
And I ain't asking for forgiveness
Bm7         C7
All I ask, all I ask is

F              D7    Gm  D7   Gm7
If this is my last night with you
            C7                                 F
You better hold me like I'm more than just a friend
             D7         Gm7
Give me a memory I can use
C7                            F       E7 Am7 Dm7
Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do
     Cm7    F7       Bbmaj7 Dm7
It matters how this ends
       Gm7                             C5
Cause what if I never love, never love
                   C     Db Eb F
Never love, never love again

End of song Play again?

Bruno Mars - All I Ask Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Bruno Mars – All I Ask: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

A major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

F# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
#7 = E# (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 F# minor side because F#m is heard 10 times against 9 for A and the major V chord points straight at F#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from A 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 A or to F#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 A major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	A	Tonic — home	A · C# · E	7×
Imaj7	Amaj7	Tonic — home	A · C# · E · G#	2×
i7	Am7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E · G	1×
bIImaj7	Bbmaj7	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Bb · D · F · A	1×
ii7	Bm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F# · A	2×
ii	Bm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F#	2×
V/V	B	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Esecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	14×
V7/V	B7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Esecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	1×
bIII7	C7	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	C · E · G · Bb	3×
biii7	Cm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G · Bb	1×
bIII	C5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · G	1×
bIII	C	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	C · E · G	1×
iii	Dbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Db · Fb · Ab	6×
iii7	Dbm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Db · Fb · Ab · Cb	3×
V7/vi	Db7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab · Cb	1×
V/vi	Db	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	1×
IV7	D7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A · C	3×
iv7	Dm7	Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	D · F · A · C	2×
#IV7	Eb7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb · Db	1×
#IV	Eb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb	1×
V	E	Dominant — strongest pull home	E · G# · B	16×
V7	E7	Dominant — strongest pull home	E · G# · B · D	2×
bVI	F	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	F · A · C	4×
bVI7	F7	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	F · A · C · Eb	1×
vi	Gbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Gb · A · Db	7×
vi7	Gbm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Gb · A · Db · Fb	3×
bvii7	Gm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D · F	3×
bvii	Gm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D	1×
vii°	G#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G# · B · D	—
vii7	Abm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	11×
vii	Abm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb	1×
V7/iii	Ab7	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	1×

Seen from F# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gbm	Tonic — home	Gb · A · Db	7×
i7	Gbm7	Tonic — home	Gb · A · Db · Fb	3×
bii7	Gm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D · F	3×
bii	Gm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D	1×
ii°	G#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G# · B · D	—
ii7	Abm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	11×
ii	Abm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb	1×
V7/v	Ab7	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	1×
III	A	Relative major — the bright side	A · C# · E	7×
IIImaj7	Amaj7	Relative major — the bright side	A · C# · E · G#	2×
iii7	Am7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C · E · G	1×
#IIImaj7	Bbmaj7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · D · F · A	1×
iv7	Bm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D · F# · A	2×
iv	Bm	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D · F#	2×
IV	B	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	B · D# · F#	14×
IV7	B7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	B · D# · F# · A	1×
#IV7	C7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G · Bb	3×
#iv7	Cm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G · Bb	1×
#IV	C5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · G	1×
#IV	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	1×
v	Dbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Db · Fb · Ab	6×
v7	Dbm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	Db · Fb · Ab · Cb	3×
V7	Db7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Db · F · Ab · Cb	1×
V	Db	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Db · F · Ab	1×
VI7	D7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A · C	3×
vi7	Dm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A · C	2×
#VI7	Eb7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb · Db	1×
#VI	Eb	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · G · Bb	1×
VII	E	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	E · G# · B	16×
VII7	E7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	E · G# · B · D	2×
#VII	F	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · A · C	4×
#VII7	F7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · A · C · Eb	1×

Analysis

The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 31 different chords appear 104 times in total; 10 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of F#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from A, the same Db7 / Db is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for F#m. B, B7, Ab7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. F, C7, Dm7, F7, Bbmaj7, C are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Dbm Gbm Aiii → vi F#mv → inatural-minor cadence ×4
C7 F AbIII7 → bVIsecondary resolution F#m#IV7 → #VII ×3
E A AV → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII → III ×2
Dbm7 Gbm7 Aiii7 → vi7 F#mv7 → i7natural-minor cadence ×2
D7 Gm7 AIV7 → bvii7secondary resolution F#mVI7 → bii7 ×2
E7 Amaj7 AV7 → Imaj7authentic cadence F#mVII7 → IIImaj7 ×1

The move to watch is Dbm → Gbm, heard 4 times. From the F#m side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival); from the A side it reads iii → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
Over E, land on E, G#, B — 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 Abm7, land on Ab, Cb, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When Db7 comes, swap the scale's E for E#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On F, follow the chord's notes (F · A · C) 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 A major shapes

No capo — open A shapes
Capo 2 + G shapes
Capo 5 + E shapes

With F# minor shapes

Capo 2 + Em shapes
Capo 4 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

3 semitones up
4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening E lays a solid floor for everything that follows. E, B, Abm7, A carry the song: V–V/V–vii7–I relative to A, VII–IV–ii7–III relative to F#m. D7 is the interesting twist: in A it is a chromatic chord (IV7), while in F#m it becomes the dominant (VI7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Dbm → Gbm (iii → vi in A, v → i in F#m): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. It closes on F, letting the A 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.

Bruno Mars - All I Ask 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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