Major view
E major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely - Chord
Key E major – C# minor Chords Dbm7, Gb7, A/B, E, G#7, Amaj7 Easy key G
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Key: E | Dbm | C#m
Capo: 0
Dbm7 Gb7 A/B E
Dbm7 Gb7
Isn't she lovely
A/B E
Isn't she wonderful
Dbm7 Gb7
Isn't she precious
A/B E
Less than one minute old
Amaj7
I never thought
G#7
Through love we'd be
Dbm7 Gb7
Making one as lovely as she
A/B
But isn't she lovely
E G#7
Made from love
Dbm7 Gb7
Isn't she pretty
A/B E
Truly the angel's best
Dbm7 Gb7
Boy, I'm so happy
A/B E
We have been heaven blessed
Amaj7
I can't believe
G#7
What God has done
Dbm7 Gb7
Through us he's given life to one
A/B
But isn't she lovely
E G#7
Made from love
Dbm7 Gb7
Isn't she lovely
A/B E
Life and love are the same
Dbm7 Gb7
Life is Aisha
A/B E
The meaning of her name
Amaj7
Londie, it could
G#7
Have not been done
Dbm7 Gb7
Without you who conceived the one
A/B
That's so very lovely
E G#7
Made from love
End of song Play again?
Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Stevie Wonder – Isn't She Lovely: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Dbm7 and ends on G#7. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
C# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = B# (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 C# minor side because it opens on C#m and the major V chord points straight at C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from E major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to E or to C#m; 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 | E | Tonic — home | E · G# · B | 10× |
| ii | F#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C# | — |
| II7 | Gb7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Gb · Bb · Db · Fb | 10× |
| iii | G#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | G# · B · D# | — |
| V7/vi | G#7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant | G# · B# · D# · F# | 6× |
| IV | A/B | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C# · E | 10× |
| IVmaj7 | Amaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C# · E · G# | 3× |
| V | B | Dominant — strongest pull home | B · D# · F# | — |
| vi7 | Dbm7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | Db · Fb · Ab · Cb | 10× |
| vii° | D#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | D# · F# · A | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Dbm7 | Tonic — home | Db · Fb · Ab · Cb | 10× |
| ii° | D#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D# · F# · A | — |
| III | E | Relative major — the bright side | E · G# · B | 10× |
| iv | F#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | F# · A · C# | — |
| IV7 | Gb7 | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | Gb · Bb · Db · Fb | 10× |
| v | G#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | G# · B · D# | — |
| V7 | G#7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | G# · B# · D# · F# | 6× |
| VI | A/B | Submediant — warm colour | A · C# · E | 10× |
| VImaj7 | Amaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | A · C# · E · G# | 3× |
| VII | B | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | B · D# · F# | — |
Analysis
The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 6 different chords appear 49 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of C#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from E, the same G#7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for C#m. Gb7 step outside the scale as colour chords.
Chord movement
- A/B E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×10
- G#7 Dbm7 EV7/vi → vi7secondary resolution C#mV7 → i7harmonic-minor cadence ×5
The move to watch is A/B → E, heard 10 times. From the C#m side it is VI → III; from the E side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
- Over Dbm7, land on Db, Fb, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Gb7, land on Gb, Bb, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A/B, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When G#7 comes, swap the scale's B for B#: 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 E major shapes
- No capo — open E shapes
- Capo 2 + D shapes
- Capo 4 + C shapes
With C# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 3 semitones up
- 4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Dbm7; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Dbm7, Gb7, A/B, E; read them as vi7–II7–IV–I in E or i7–IV7–VI–III in C#m. G#7 is the interesting twist: in E it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in C#m it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A/B → E (IV → I in E, VI → III in C#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on G#7, the song seals E 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.
Stevie Wonder - Isn't She Lovely 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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