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)
Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords F#m7, Bm7, D/E, Amaj7, B/F#, Dmaj7, Dbm7, A/C# … Easy key G (capo 2)
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
Amaj7 F#m7 Bm7 D/E
Amaj7 F#m7
A few stolen moments
Bm7 D/E
Is all that we share
Amaj7 F#m7
You've got your family
Bm7 D/E
And they need you there
F#m7 B/F#
Though I try to resist
F#m7 B/F#
Being last on your list
Amaj7 E/G# F#m7 F#m/E Abm7 Db7 Db7/4
But no other man is gonna do
Dmaj7 A/C# Bm7 D/E Amaj7 F#m7 Bm7 D/E
So I'm Saving all my love for you
Amaj7 F#m7
It's not very easy
Bm7 D/E
Living all alone
Amaj7 F#m7
My friend try and tell me
Bm7 D/E
Find a man of my own
F#m7 B/F#
But each time I try
F#m7 B/F#
I just break down and cry
Amaj7 E/G# F#m7 F#m/E Abm7 Db7 Db7/4
Cause I'd rather be home feeling blue
Dmaj7 A/C# Bm7 D/E Amaj7
So I'm saving All my love for you
Abm7 Db7 F#m7 Bm7
You used to tell me we'd run away together
D/E Amaj7
Love gives you the right to be free
D#m7 G#7 C#7M
You said 'Be Patient' 'Just wait a little longer'
F#m7 A/B D/E
But that's just an old fantasy
Amaj7 F#m7 Bm7 D/E
I've got to get ready just a few minutes more
Amaj7 F#m7
Gonna get an old feeling
Bm7 D/E
When you walk through that door
F#m7 B/F#
Cause tonight is the night
F#m7 B/F#
When I'm feeling all right
A E/G# F#m F#m/E Abm7 Db7 Db7/4
We'll be making love the whole night through
Dmaj7 Dbm7 Bm7
So I´´m saving all my love
Dmaj7 Dbm7 Bm7
Yes,i'm saving all my love
Dmaj7 Dbm7 Bm7 D/E Amaj7 F#m7 Bm7 D/E
Yes,i'm saving all my love for you,For you
Amaj7 F#m7 Bm7 D/E
No other woman is gonna love you more
F#m7 B/F#
Cause tonight is the night
F#m7 B/F#
When I'm feeling all right
A E/G# F#m F#m/E Abm7 Db7 Db7/4
We'll be making love the whole night through
Dmaj7 Dbm7 Bm7
So I'm saving all my love
Dmaj7 Dbm7 Bm7
Yes,i'm saving all my love
Dmaj7 Dbm7 Bm7
Yes,i'm saving all my love
Amaj7 F#m7 Bm7 D/E
For You
Amaj7 F#m7 Bm7 D/E
For You
End of song Play again?
Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Whitney Houston – Saving All My Love For You: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Amaj7 and ends on D/E. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
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 it opens on A, F#m is heard 22 times against 17 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Amaj7 | Tonic — home | A · C# · E · G# | 14× |
| I | A/C# | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 2× |
| I | A/B | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 1× |
| ii7 | Bm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# · A | 21× |
| II | B/F# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D# · F# | 8× |
| iii7 | Dbm7 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | Db · Fb · Ab · Cb | 6× |
| V7/vi | Db7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to F#msecondary dominant | Db · F · Ab · Cb | 1× |
| IV | D/E | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 17× |
| IVmaj7 | Dmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A · C# | 8× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | — |
| vi7 | F#m7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# · E | 22× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| vii7 | Abm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb | 1× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | F#m7 | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# · E | 22× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| ii7 | Abm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb | 1× |
| IIImaj7 | Amaj7 | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E · G# | 14× |
| III | A/C# | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 2× |
| III | A/B | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 1× |
| iv7 | Bm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# · A | 21× |
| IV | B/F# | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | B · D# · F# | 8× |
| v7 | Dbm7 | Minor dominant — soft pull | Db · Fb · Ab · Cb | 6× |
| V7 | Db7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Db · F · Ab · Cb | 1× |
| VI | D/E | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 17× |
| VImaj7 | Dmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A · C# | 8× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | — |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 11 different chords appear 101 times in total; 8 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 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for F#m. B/F#, Abm7 step outside the scale as colour chords.
Chord movement
- D/E Amaj7 AIV → Imaj7plagal cadence F#mVI → IIImaj7 ×12
- D/E F#m7 AIV → vi7 F#mVI → i7VI → i ×4
- Dmaj7 A/C# AIVmaj7 → Iplagal cadence F#mVImaj7 → III ×2
- Db7 F#m7 AV7/vi → vi7secondary resolution F#mV7 → i7harmonic-minor cadence ×1
The move to watch is D/E → Amaj7, heard 12 times. From the F#m side it is VI → IIImaj7; from the A side it reads IV → Imaj7 (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). 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 F#m7, land on F#, A, C# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bm7, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over D/E, land on D, F#, A — 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.
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
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
- 3 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening Amaj7 lays a solid floor for everything that follows. F#m7, Bm7, D/E, Amaj7 carry the song: vi7–ii7–IV–Imaj7 relative to A, i7–iv7–VI–IIImaj7 relative to F#m. Db7 is the interesting twist: in A it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in F#m it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on D/E → Amaj7 (IV → Imaj7 in A, VI → IIImaj7 in F#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on D/E, 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.
Whitney Houston - Saving All My Love For You 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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