Whitney Houston - When You Believe - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords A, B, Bm, E, Dbm, Gbm, D, Em … Easy key G

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Capo 0

Bm                A            Gbm         Bm
Many nights we've prayed, with no proof anyone could hear
Bm              D               Em          Gbm
In our hearts a hopeful song we barely understood
 Bm              A              Gbm                 Bm
Now we are not afraid, although we know there's much to fear
G              D                Em              A
We were moving mountains long before we knew we could

D                    A/C#
There can be miracles, when you believe
Bm             A           G
Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
D                     A/C#
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
Bm          A
When you believe
    G            Em              A       Bm
Somehow you will,  you will when you believe

Bm                A            Gbm         Bm
In this time of fear, when prayer so often proves in vain
Bm              D               Em          Gbm
Hope seemed like the summer birds too swiftly flown away
    B           A                               Esus4    E
Yet now I'm standing here, my heart's so full, I can't explain
G              D                Em              A
Seeking faith and speaking words I never thought I'd say

E                   B/D#
There can be miracles, when you believe
Dbm            B           A
Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
E                     B/D#
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
Dbm         B
When you believe
    A            Gbm             B      E
Somehow you will,  you will when you believe

E  Dbm  A  B

           Dbm           B/D#     E     B  E/G#
They don’t always happen when you ask
         Dbm          B/D#       E     B/F#  E/G#
And it’s easy to give in to your fear
    A                   E/G#    B/F#
But when you’re blinded by your pain
      E        B/D#     Dbm         B
Can’t see your way safe through the rain
Dbm
Thought of a still resilient voice
     B
Says love is very near

Gb                  Db/E#
There can be miracles, when you believe
Ebm            Db          B
Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
Gb                    Db/E#
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
Ebm         Db
When you believe
    B             Ebm
Somehow you will, now you will
B             Db     Ebm  Db
You will when you believe
B             Db     Gb
You will when you believe

End of song Play again?

Whitney Houston - When You Believe Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Whitney Houston – When You Believe: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

E major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

C# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = B (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E major side because E is heard 12 times against 7 for C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#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 E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	8×
I	E/G#	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	3×
Isus4	Esus4	Tonic — home	E · A · B	1×
i	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	5×
ii	Gbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db	6×
V/V	Gb	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Bsecondary dominant	Gb · Bb · Db	3×
bIII	G	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	G · B · D	4×
iii	G#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G# · B · D#	—
V/vi	G#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	G# · B# · D#	—
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	13×
IV	A/C#	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	2×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	12×
V	B/D#	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	5×
V	B/F#	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	2×
v	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	11×
vi	Dbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab	7×
V/ii	Db	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	5×
V/ii	Db/E#	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	2×
bVII	D	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	D · F# · A	6×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—
vii	Ebm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb	4×

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dbm	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab	7×
V/iv	Db	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	5×
V/iv	Db/E#	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	2×
bII	D	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	D · F# · A	6×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
ii	Ebm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb	4×
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	8×
III	E/G#	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	3×
IIIsus4	Esus4	Relative major — the bright side	E · A · B	1×
iii	Em	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G · B	5×
iv	Gbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db	6×
IV	Gb	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	Gb · Bb · Db	3×
#IV	G	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · B · D	4×
v	G#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	G# · B · D#	—
V	G#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G# · B# · D#	—
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	13×
VI	A/C#	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	2×
VII	B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	12×
VII	B/D#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	5×
VII	B/F#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	2×
vii	Bm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D · F#	11×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 18 different chords appear 99 times in total; 10 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Db, Gb, Db/E# act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. D, G are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

B/D# Dbm EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×3
B/D# E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×2
A E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×2
B Dbm EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×2
Gbm B Eii → Vii → V C#miv → VII ×2
B E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×1

The move to watch is B/D# → Dbm, heard 3 times. From the E side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected E, lands on C#m); from the C#m side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
Over A, land on A, C#, E — 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 Bm, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
On D, follow the chord's notes (D · F# · A) 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 E major shapes

No capo — open E shapes
Capo 2 + D shapes
Capo 4 + C shapes

With C# minor shapes

Capo 4 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

The opening Bm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. A, B, Bm, E carry the song: IV–V–v–I relative to E, VI–VII–vii–III relative to C#m. Db adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gbm. Keep an ear on B/D# → Dbm (V → vi in E, VII → i in C#m): deceptive cadence — expected E, lands on C#m. The final chord is Gb; the ear comes to rest in E.

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 - When You Believe 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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