Frank Sinatra - My Way - Chord

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; 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.

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 18 different chords appear 95 times in total; 12 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. D7, B4, B7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Gm6 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

1. Em7 → A7 Dii7 → V7ii → V Bmiv7 → VII7 ×7
2. G → D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×6
3. D7 → G DV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution BmV7/VI → VI ×6
4. Gm6 → D Div6 → Iminor plagal Bmvi6 → III ×4
5. A7 → D DV7 → Iauthentic cadence BmVII7 → III ×3
6. A → D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×3

The move to watch is Em7 → A7, heard 7 times. From the D side it reads ii7 → V7 (ii → V: the classic preparation of the dominant); from the Bm side it is iv7 → VII7. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Capo and easier keys

The song's harmonic story

The opening D lays a solid floor for everything that follows. D, G, A7, Dmaj7 carry the song: I–IV–V7–Imaj7 relative to D, III–VI–VII7–IIImaj7 relative to Bm. D7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to G. Keep an ear on Em7 → A7 (ii7 → V7 in D, iv7 → VII7 in Bm): ii → V — the classic preparation of the dominant. The final chord is D; the ear comes to rest in D.

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.