Whitney Houston - All The Man That I Need - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords Fm, Db, Eb, Gbm, B, D, Bbm, Abm … Easy key D (capo 6)

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Capo 0

Fm  Db  Cm  Bbm  Ab  Eb

Bbm                        Fm
I used to cry myself to sleep at night
      Eb            Db
But that was all before he came
Bbm                           Fm
I thought love had to hurt to turn out right
    Eb                  Db
But now he's here, it's not the same
      C
It's not the same

            Fm               Bb
He fills me up, he gives me love
 Db                 Ab       Abm
More love than I've ever seen
              Fm                 Bb
He's all I've got, he's all I've got in this world
         Eb                  Fm Fm Eb Db
But he's all the man that I need

Bbm                       Fm
And in the morning when I kiss his eyes
    Eb               Db
He takes me down and rocks me slow
Bbm                         Fm
And in the evening when the moon is high
   Eb                 Db
He holds me close and won't let go
   C
He won't let go

            Fm               Bb
He fills me up, he gives me love
 Db                 Ab       Abm
More love than I've ever seen
              Fm                 Bb
He's all I've got, he's all I've got in this world
         Eb                  Fm Fm Eb Db
But he's all the man that I need

            Gbm               B
He fills me up, he gives me love
 D                 A       Abm
More love than I've ever seen
              Gbm                 B
He's all I've got, he's all I've got in this world
         D       E           Gbm
But he's all the man that I need
            Gbm               B
He fills me up, he gives me love
 D                 A       Abm
More love than I've ever seen
              Gbm                 B
He's all I've got, he's all I've got in this world
         D       E           Gbm
But he's all the man that I need
            Gbm               B
He fills me up, he gives me love
 D                 A       Abm
More love than I've ever seen
              Gbm                 B
He's all I've got, he's all I've got in this world
         D       E           Gbm
But he's all the man that I need

End of song Play again?

Whitney Houston - All The Man That I Need Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Whitney Houston – All The Man That I Need: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Fm and ends on Gbm. 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)
#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 Fm, Fm is heard 13 times against 3 for Ab and the major V chord points straight at Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab 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 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	3×
i	Abm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb	5×
bII	A	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	A · C# · E	3×
ii	Bbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Bb · Db · F	5×
V/V	Bb	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Ebsecondary dominant	Bb · D · F	4×
bIII	B	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	B · D# · F#	6×
iii	Cm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C · Eb · G	1×
V/vi	C	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	2×
IV	Db	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	9×
#IV	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	6×
V	Eb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	9×
bVI	E	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	E · G# · B	3×
vi	Fm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C	13×
bvii	Gbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db	9×
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	13×
bii	Gbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Gb · A · Db	9×
ii°	Gdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · Db	—
III	Ab	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	3×
iii	Abm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb	5×
#III	A	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E	3×
iv	Bbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · Db · F	5×
IV	Bb	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	Bb · D · F	4×
#IV	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	6×
v	Cm	Minor dominant — soft pull	C · Eb · G	1×
V	C	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G	2×
VI	Db	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	9×
#VI	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	6×
VII	Eb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	9×
#VII	E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	E · G# · B	3×

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 14 different chords appear 78 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Fm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Ab, the same C is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Fm. Bb acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. B, A, E are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Bbm Fm Abii → vi Fmiv → iminor plagal ×4
C Fm AbV/vi → vi FmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2
Db Ab AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×2
Eb Fm AbV → videceptive cadence FmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2

The move to watch is Bbm → Fm, heard 4 times. From the Fm side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic); from the Ab side it reads ii → vi. 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 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.
Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When C comes, swap the scale's Eb for E: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On B, follow the chord's notes (B · D# · F#) 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 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

6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Fm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Fm, Db, Eb, Gbm; read them as vi–IV–V–bvii in Ab or i–VI–VII–bii in Fm. C is the interesting twist: in Ab it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Fm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Bbm → Fm (ii → vi in Ab, iv → i in Fm): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. Ending on Gbm, 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.

Whitney Houston - All The Man That I Need 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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