Beyonce - Ave Maria - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords G, C, F, Am, F/A, Cmaj7, Dm, C7 … Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

C  C7  F  F  C

C                   F/A             G
She was lost in so many different ways
           F               C    G
Out in the darkness with no guide
  C                     F/A     G
I know the cost of a losing hand
              F
There, but for the grace of God
    C    G
Go, I
        Am
I found Heaven on Earth
            G
You are my last, my first
           F               G
And then I hear this voice inside
Am  G  Cmaj7  Am  G  F  C  G
Ave Maria

C
I've been alone
            F/A        G
When I'm surrounded by friends
              F              C   G
How could the silence be so loud
        C                        F/A        G
But I still go home knowing that I've got you
             F                    C    G
There's only us when the lights go down
           Am
You are my Heaven on Earth
            G
You are my hunger, my thirst
         F                G
I always hear this voice inside
        Am  G  Cmaj7  Am  G  F  C  G
Singing Ave Maria

Dm                          Am
Sometimes love can come and pass you by
Dm                    Am
While your busy making plans
F                             C/E
Suddenly hit you and then you realize
                 Dm              G
It's out of your hands, baby you got to understand
           Am
You are my Heaven on Earth
            G
You are my last, my first
         F               G
And then I hear this voice inside
Am  G  Cmaj7  Am  G
Ave Maria
F     G   C  Am  G
Ave Maria
F     G     C
Ave Maria

End of song Play again?

Beyonce - Ave Maria Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Beyonce – Ave Maria: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C and ends on C. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = G (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it both starts and finishes on C and C is heard 19 times against 12 for Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to C or to Am; 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 C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	14×
Imaj7	Cmaj7	Tonic — home	C · E · G · B	3×
I	C/E	Tonic — home	C · E · G	1×
V7/IV	C7	Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	1×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	3×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	14×
IV	F/A	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	4×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	26×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	12×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	12×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	14×
IIImaj7	Cmaj7	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G · B	3×
III	C/E	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	1×
V7/VI	C7	Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Fsecondary dominant	C · E · G · Bb	1×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	3×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	—
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	14×
VI	F/A	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	4×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	26×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 9 different chords appear 78 times in total; 8 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. C7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×7
G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×6
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×5
F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×5
F/A G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×4
G Cmaj7 CV → Imaj7authentic cadence AmVII → IIImaj7 ×3

The move to watch is F → C, heard 7 times. From the C side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Am side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over F, land on F, A, C — 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 C major shapes

No capo — open C shapes
Capo 3 + A shapes
Capo 5 + G shapes

With A minor shapes

No capo — open Am shapes
Capo 5 + Em shapes
Capo 7 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The opening C lays a solid floor for everything that follows. G, C, F, Am carry the song: V–I–IV–vi relative to C, VII–III–VI–i relative to Am. C7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to F. Keep an ear on F → C (IV → I in C, VI → III in Am): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on C, letting the C side have the last word.

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.