Major view
F major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = E (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Bb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Beatles - Yesterday - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords F, Dm, Bb, A7, A7/E, Gm, C, Em … Easy key G
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
F
Yesterday
Em A7
All my troubles seemed
Dm Dm/C
So far away
Bb C7
Now it looks as though
F F/E
They're here to stay
Dm G Bb F
Oh, I believe in yesterday Suddenly
Em A7 Dm Dm/C
I'm not half the man I used to be
Bb C7 F F/E
There's a shadow hanging over me
Dm G Bb F
Oh, yesterday came suddenly
A7/E A7 Gm
C F
A7/E A7 Gm
C F
A7/E A7 Dm Bb Gm
Why she had to go? I don't know
C F
She wouldn't say
A7/E A7 Dm Bb Gm
I said something wrong now I long
C F
For yesterday
F
Yesterday
Em A7 Dm Dm/C
Love was such an easy game to play
Bb C7 F F/E
Now I need a place to hide away
Dm G Bb F
Oh, I believe in yesterday
A7/E A7 Dm Bb Gm
Why she had to go? I don't know
C F
She wouldn't say
A7/E A7 Dm Bb Gm
I said something wrong now I long
C F
For yesterday
F
Yesterday
Em A7 Dm Dm/C
Love was such an easy game to play
Bb C7 F F/E
Now I need a place to hide away
Dm G Bb F
Oh, I believe in yesterday
End of song Play again?
Beatles - Yesterday Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Beatles – Yesterday: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F and ends on F. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
D minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = C# (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 major side because it both starts and finishes on F, F is heard 21 times against 16 for Dm and the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from D minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to F or to Dm; 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 | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 17× |
| I | F/E | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 4× |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | 6× |
| V/V | G | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant | G · B · D | 4× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | — |
| V7/vi | A7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E · G | 10× |
| V7/vi | A7/E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E · G | 6× |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 12× |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 6× |
| V7 | C7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G · Bb | 4× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | 12× |
| vi | Dm/C | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | 4× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| vii | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 4× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | 12× |
| i | Dm/C | Tonic — home | D · F · A | 4× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| ii | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 4× |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 17× |
| III | F/E | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 4× |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | 6× |
| IV | G | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | G · B · D | 4× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | — |
| V7 | A7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E · G | 10× |
| V7 | A7/E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E · G | 6× |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 12× |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 6× |
| VII7 | C7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G · Bb | 4× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 12 different chords appear 89 times in total; 8 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A7 / A7/E is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm. G acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- A7 Dm FV7/vi → visecondary resolution DmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×8
- C F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×6
- Gm C Fii → Vii → V Dmiv → VII ×6
- C7 F FV7 → Iauthentic cadence DmVII7 → III ×4
- Bb F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×4
- Bb C7 FIV → V7IV → V DmVI → VII7VI → VII ×4
The move to watch is A7 → Dm, heard 8 times. From the F side it reads V7/vi → vi (secondary resolution: A7 resolves a fourth up to Dm); from the Dm side it is V7 → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- 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.
- When A7 comes, swap the scale's C for C#: 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 F major shapes
- Capo 1 + E shapes
- Capo 3 + D shapes
- Capo 5 + C shapes
With D minor shapes
- No capo — open Dm shapes
- Capo 5 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones up
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening F lays a solid floor for everything that follows. F, Dm, Bb, A7 carry the song: I–vi–IV–V7/vi relative to F, III–i–VI–V7 relative to Dm. A7 is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A7 → Dm (V7/vi → vi in F, V7 → i in Dm): secondary resolution — A7 resolves a fourth up to Dm. The final chord is F; the ear comes to rest in F.
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.
Beatles - Yesterday 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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