Rihanna - Higher - Chord

Key Bb major – G minor Chords Dm, Bb, Gm, Eb, Cm, F Easy key C

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Capo 0

Bb  Dm  Gm  Eb  Dm  Cm  F

      Bb                            Dm 
This whiskey got me feelin' pretty
    Gm
So pardon if I'm impolite
   Eb                                Dm
I just really need your ass with me
    Cm                      F
I'm sorry 'bout the other night

       Bb                            Dm 
And I know I could be more creative
 Gm
And come up with poetic lines
     Eb                                     Dm
But I'm turnt up off sizz' and "I love you"
       Cm                      F
Is the only thing that's in my mind

             Bb                 Dm        Gm
You take me higher, higher than I've ever been, babe
                              Eb                 
Just come over, let's pour a drink, babe
                 Dm        Cm        F
I hope I ain't calling you too late, too late

              Bb
You light my fire
               Dm             Gm
Let's stay up late and smoke jay
                        Eb
I wanna go back to the oldways
                   Dm               Cm
But I'm drunk and still with a full ashtray
        F                  Bb            
With a little bit too much to say

Dm  Gm   Eb  Dm  Cm  F

End of song Play again?

Rihanna - Higher Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Rihanna – Higher: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Bb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

G minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

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

Which side does the ear lean to?

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

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Bb or to Gm; 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 Bb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Bb	Tonic — home	Bb · D · F	6×
ii	Cm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · G	6×
iii	Dm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D · F · A	12×
V/vi	D	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	—
IV	Eb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · G · Bb	6×
V	F	Dominant — strongest pull home	F · A · C	6×
vi	Gm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	G · Bb · D	6×
vii°	Adim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A · C · Eb	—

Seen from G minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gm	Tonic — home	G · Bb · D	6×
ii°	Adim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · Eb	—
III	Bb	Relative major — the bright side	Bb · D · F	6×
iv	Cm	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · Eb · G	6×
v	Dm	Minor dominant — soft pull	D · F · A	12×
V	D	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	D · F# · A	—
VI	Eb	Submediant — warm colour	Eb · G · Bb	6×
VII	F	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	F · A · C	6×

Analysis

The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 6 different chords appear 42 times in total; 6 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

Dm Gm Bbiii → vi Gmv → inatural-minor cadence ×6
Cm F Bbii → Vii → V Gmiv → VII ×6
F Bb BbV → Iauthentic cadence GmVII → III ×5

The move to watch is Dm → Gm, heard 6 times. From the Bb side it reads iii → vi; from the Gm side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
Over Dm, land on D, F, A — 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 Gm, land on G, Bb, D — 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 Bb major shapes

Capo 1 + A shapes
Capo 3 + G shapes
Capo 6 + E shapes

With G minor shapes

Capo 3 + Em shapes
Capo 5 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Bb, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Dm, Bb, Gm, Eb; read them as iii–I–vi–IV in Bb or v–III–i–VI in Gm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Dm → Gm (iii → vi in Bb, v → i in Gm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. It closes on F, letting the Bb 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.