Major view
Gb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = F (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Cb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Mariah Carey - Without You - Chord
Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords E, B7, Gbm, Dbm, E9, Abm, Ab4, Ab … Easy key D (capo 4)
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Key: Gb | D#m | Ebm
Capo: 0
E9 E E9 E
E9 E
No I can't forget this evening
Abm
Or your face as you were leaving
Gbm
But I guess that's just the way
Ab4 Ab
The story goes
Dbm Dbm7/B
You always smile but in your eyes
A#m7
Your sorrow shows
E B7
Yes it shows
E
No I can't forget tomorrow
Abm
When I think of all my sorrow
Gbm
When I had you there but then I
Ab4 Ab
Let you go
Dbm
And now it's only fair
C#m7/B A#m7
That I should let you know
E B7
What you should know
E Dbm
I can't live, if living is without you
Gbm B7 B7
I can't live, I can't give anymore
E Dbm
I can't live, if living is without you
Gbm B7 B7
I can't give, I can't give anymore
E
Well I can't forget this evening
Abm
Or your face as you were leaving
Gbm
But I guess that's just the way
Ab4 Ab
The story goes
Dbm Dbm7/B
You always smile but in your eyes
A#m7
Your sorrow shows
E B7
Yes it shows
E Dbm
I can't live, if living is without you
Gbm B7 B7
I can't live, I can't give anymore
E Dbm
I can't live, if living is without you
Gbm B7 B7
I can't give, I can't give anymore
E Dbm
I can't live, if living is without you
Gbm B7 B7
I can't give, I can't give anymore
End of song Play again?
Mariah Carey - Without You Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Mariah Carey – Without You: key and chord analysis
The song opens on E9 and ends on B7. Its chords belong to both Gb major and Ebm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
Eb minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Db (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between Gb major and Eb minor. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Gb or to Ebm; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Gb | Tonic — home | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| i | Gbm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Gb · A · Db | 8× |
| ii | Abm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Ab · Cb · Eb | 3× |
| V/V | Ab4 | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dbsecondary dominant | Ab · C · Eb | 3× |
| V/V | Ab | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dbsecondary dominant | Ab · C · Eb | 3× |
| iii7 | A#m7 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A# · C# · E# · G# | 3× |
| III | Bb | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Bb · D · F | — |
| IV7 | B7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D# · F# · A | 13× |
| V | Db | Dominant — strongest pull home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| v | Dbm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Db · Fb · Ab | 8× |
| v7 | Dbm7/B | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Db · Fb · Ab · Cb | 2× |
| v7 | C#m7/B | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E · G# · B | 1× |
| vi | Ebm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| bVII | E | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | E · G# · B | 13× |
| bVII7 | E9 | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | E · G# · B · D · F# | 3× |
| vii° | Fdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Ebm | Tonic — home | Eb · Gb · Bb | — |
| bII | E | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | E · G# · B | 13× |
| bII7 | E9 | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | E · G# · B · D · F# | 3× |
| ii° | Fdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F · Ab · Cb | — |
| III | Gb | Relative major — the bright side | Gb · Bb · Db | — |
| iii | Gbm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Gb · A · Db | 8× |
| iv | Abm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Ab · Cb · Eb | 3× |
| IV | Ab4 | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | Ab · C · Eb | 3× |
| IV | Ab | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | Ab · C · Eb | 3× |
| v7 | A#m7 | Minor dominant — soft pull | A# · C# · E# · G# | 3× |
| V | Bb | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Bb · D · F | — |
| VI7 | B7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D# · F# · A | 13× |
| VII | Db | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Db · F · Ab | — |
| vii | Dbm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Db · Fb · Ab | 8× |
| vii7 | Dbm7/B | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Db · Fb · Ab · Cb | 2× |
| vii7 | C#m7/B | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E · G# · B | 1× |
Analysis
The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 11 different chords appear 60 times in total; 2 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Ab4, Ab act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. E, E9 are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- B7 E GbIV7 → bVIIsecondary resolution EbmVI7 → bII ×7
The move to watch is B7 → E, heard 7 times. From the Gb side it reads IV7 → bVII (secondary resolution: B7 resolves a fourth up to E); from the Ebm side it is VI7 → bII. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Gb major pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – Eb): start from Gb for a brighter phrase, from Eb for a bluesier one.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over B7, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Gbm, land on Gb, A, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On E, follow the chord's notes (E · G# · B) 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 Gb major shapes
- Capo 2 + E shapes
- Capo 4 + D shapes
- Capo 6 + C shapes
With Eb minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Dm shapes
- Capo 6 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch
- 3 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
Starting on E9, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are E, B7, Gbm, Dbm; read them as bVII–IV7–i–v in Gb or bII–VI7–iii–vii in Ebm. Ab4 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to Db. Keep an ear on B7 → E (IV7 → bVII in Gb, VI7 → bII in Ebm): secondary resolution — B7 resolves a fourth up to E. Ending on B7, the song seals Gb 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.
Mariah Carey - Without 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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