Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords Ab5, Eb5, Gb5, Bb5, Ab7, F5, F7, Eb7 … Easy key Bb (capo 6)

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Capo 0

Eb5  Gb5  Ab5  Eb5  Gb5  Ab5

 Eb5    Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
People
 Gb5   Ab5  Eb5  Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Keep on    learnin'
 Eb5      Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Soldiers
 Gb5   Ab5   Eb5  Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Keep on     warrin'
 F5   Ab5 Bb5 F5
World
 Ab5   Bb5  Ab5  Ab5   Bb5
Keep on    turnin'
F7
  Cause it won't be 
     Eb5    Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Too long

 Eb5   Gb5 Ab5 Eb5  
Powers 
 Gb5   Ab5   Eb5  Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Keep on     lyin'
  Eb5            Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
While your people 
 Gb5   Ab5   Eb5  Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Keep on     dyin'
 F5   Ab5 Bb5 F5
World
 Ab5   Bb5   Ab5  Ab5   Bb5
Keep on     turnin'
F7
  Cause it won't be 
     Eb5    Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Too long

     Ab7
I'm so darn glad he 
         Eb7
Let me try it again
          Ab7
Cause my last time on earth 
            Eb
I lived a whole world of sin
     Ab7          
I'm so glad that I know 
       Eb
More than I knew then
 F5
Gonna keep on tryin'
 Ab7                     Eb5   Gb5 Ab5
Till I reach the highest ground

 Eb5   Gb5 Ab5 Eb5  
Teachers 
 Gb5   Ab5  Eb5  Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Keep on   teachin'
  Eb5     Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Preachers 
 Ab5   Bb5  Ab5  Ab5   Bb5
Keep on  preachin'

 F5   Ab5 Bb5 F5
World
 Ab5   Bb5   Ab5  Ab5   Bb5
Keep on     turnin'
F7
  Cause it won't be 
     Eb5    Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Too long
 Eb5   Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Lovers 
 Gb5   Ab5  Eb5  Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Keep on lovin'
   Eb5    Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Believers
Ab5   Bb5  Ab5  Ab5   Bb5
Keep on  believin'
   F5   Ab5 Bb5 F5
Sleepers 
 Ab5   Bb5   Ab5  Ab5   Bb5
Just stop  sleepin'
F7
  Cause it won't be
     Eb5  Gb5 Ab5 Eb5
Too long

     Ab7
I'm so darn glad he 
         Eb7
Let me try it again
          Ab7
Cause my last time on earth 
            Eb
I lived a whole world of sin
     Ab7          
I'm so glad that I know 
       Eb7
More than I knew then
 F5
Gonna keep on tryin'
 Ab7                     Eb5   Gb5 Ab5
Till I reach the highest ground
 Ab7                     Eb5   Gb5 Ab5
Till I reach my highest ground
 Ab7                     Eb5   Gb5 Ab5
No one's gonna bring me down
Eb5   G5 Ab5
Oh no
 Ab7                     Eb5   Gb5 Ab5
Till I reach my highest ground
 Ab7                     Eb5   Gb5 Ab5
Don't you let nobody bring you down (they'll sho 'nuff try)
 Ab7                     Eb5   Gb5 Ab5
God is gonna show you higher ground
 Ab7                         Eb5   Gb5 Ab5
He's the only friend you have around

End of song Play again?

Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Stevie Wonder – Higher Ground: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Eb5 and ends on Ab5. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

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)

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 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.

Seen from E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	—
bII	F5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · C	10×
bII7	F7	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	F · A · C · Eb	4×
II	Gb5	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · Db	34×
ii	F#m	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C#	—
bIII	G5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · D	1×
III	Ab5	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Ab · Eb	57×
iii	G#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G# · B · D#	—
III7	Ab7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	14×
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	—
#IV	Bb5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · F	16×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	—
vi	C#m	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C# · E · G#	—
VII	Eb5	Leading-tone chord — tension	Eb · Bb	47×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—
V7/iii	Eb7	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb · Db	3×
V/iii	Eb	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb	3×

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	C#m	Tonic — home	C# · E · G#	—
II	Eb5	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Eb · Bb	47×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
V7/v	Eb7	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb · Db	3×
V/v	Eb	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Abmsecondary dominant	Eb · G · Bb	3×
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	—
#III	F5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · C	10×
#III7	F7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · A · C · Eb	4×
IV	Gb5	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · Db	34×
iv	F#m	Subdominant — moves away from home	F# · A · C#	—
#IV	G5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · D	1×
V	Ab5	Minor dominant — soft pull	Ab · Eb	57×
v	G#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	G# · B · D#	—
V7	Ab7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	14×
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	—
#VI	Bb5	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · F	16×
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). 10 different chords appear 189 times in total; 3 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. Eb7, Eb act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. F7 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Eb7 Ab7 EV7/iii → III7secondary resolution C#mV7/v → V7 ×2

The move to watch is Eb7 → Ab7, heard 2 times. From the C#m side it is V7/v → V7; from the E side it reads V7/iii → III7 (secondary resolution: Eb7 resolves a fourth up to Ab7). 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 Ab5, land on Ab, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Eb5, land on Eb, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gb5, land on Gb, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When Ab5 comes, swap the scale's B for B#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On F7, follow the chord's notes (F · A · C · Eb) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

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

6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Eb5 lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Ab5, Eb5, Gb5, Bb5 carry the song: III–VII–II–#IV relative to E, V–II–IV–#VI relative to C#m. Ab7 is the interesting twist: in E it is a chromatic chord (III7), while in C#m it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Eb7 → Ab7 (V7/iii → III7 in E, V7/v → V7 in C#m): secondary resolution — Eb7 resolves a fourth up to Ab7. It closes on Ab5, letting the E 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.

Stevie Wonder - Higher Ground 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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