Frank Sinatra - As Time Goes By - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords C7, Fmaj7, Gm, Gm7, G7, Cm7, Am, Bb … Easy key G

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Gm              C7
You must remember this
  Cm7            C7
A kiss is just a kiss,
  Fmaj7            Gm   Am
a sigh is just a sigh.
     G7                  Gm7
The fundamental things apply
   C7        Fmaj7
As time goes by

     Gm              C7
And when two lovers woo
      Cm7               C7
They still say, "I love you"
    Fmaj7            Gm   Am
On that you can rely
    G7                     Gm7
No matter what the future brings
   C7        Fmaj7  F7
As time goes by

Bb
Moonlight and love songs
D7
Never out of date
Gm7
Hearts full of passion
F 
Jealousy and hate
Dm7          Bb
Woman needs man
 G7              C
And man must have his mate
Gm7       C7
That no one can deny

     Gm                  C7
It's still the same old story
   Cm7                C7
A fight for love and glory
  Fmaj7            Gm   Am
A case of do or die
     G7                      Gm7
The world will always welcome lovers
   C7        Fmaj7
As time goes by
             G7                  Gm7
Oh yes, the world will always welcome lovers
   C7        Fmaj7
As time goes by

End of song Play again?

Frank Sinatra - As Time Goes By Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Frank Sinatra – As Time Goes By: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Gm and ends on Fmaj7. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.

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)

Minor view

D minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = C (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F major side because it comes to rest on F and F is heard 9 times against 1 for 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.

Seen from F major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
Imaj7	Fmaj7	Tonic — home	F · A · C · E	7×
I	F	Tonic — home	F · A · C	1×
V7/IV	F7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Bbsecondary dominant	F · A · C · Eb	1×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	6×
ii7	Gm7	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D · F	6×
V7/V	G7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Csecondary dominant	G · B · D · F	5×
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	3×
V/vi	A	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	—
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	2×
V7	C7	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G · Bb	11×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	1×
v7	Cm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G · Bb	3×
vi7	Dm7	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A · C	1×
V7/ii	D7	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	1×
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i7	Dm7	Tonic — home	D · F · A · C	1×
V7/iv	D7	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	1×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
IIImaj7	Fmaj7	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C · E	7×
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	1×
V7/VI	F7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Bbsecondary dominant	F · A · C · Eb	1×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	6×
iv7	Gm7	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D · F	6×
IV7	G7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	G · B · D · F	5×
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	3×
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	—
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	2×
VII7	C7	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G · Bb	11×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	1×
vii7	Cm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G · Bb	3×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 13 different chords appear 48 times in total; 9 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. G7, F7, D7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

C7 Fmaj7 FV7 → Imaj7authentic cadence DmVII7 → IIImaj7 ×7
Gm7 C7 Fii7 → V7ii → V Dmiv7 → VII7 ×5
Gm C7 Fii → V7ii → V Dmiv → VII7 ×3
F7 Bb FV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution DmV7/VI → VI ×1
D7 Gm7 FV7/ii → ii7secondary resolution DmV7/iv → iv7 ×1
G7 C FV7/V → Vsecondary resolution DmIV7 → VII ×1

The move to watch is C7 → Fmaj7, heard 7 times. From the F side it reads V7 → Imaj7 (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Dm side it is VII7 → IIImaj7. 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 C7, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Fmaj7, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gm, land on G, Bb, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.

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
3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Gm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is C7, Fmaj7, Gm, Gm7 — V7–Imaj7–ii–ii7 from the F side, VII7–IIImaj7–iv–iv7 from the Dm side. G7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to C. Keep an ear on C7 → Fmaj7 (V7 → Imaj7 in F, VII7 → IIImaj7 in Dm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is Fmaj7; 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.