Major view
D major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Manuş Baba - İstanbul - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords Bm, C, G, F#, A, D, Em, Dm … Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
Bm C
Anamız ağlıyor İstanbul
Bm C
Ha gayret sarhoşuz bu gece, yine
Bm C
Kıyısız kalmışız dostlarla
Bm C
Masada bol rakı, bol roka
D Em Dm
Ver elini İstanbul, vapurlara binelim
C Bm
Tütsün bacamız, cigaramız
C#m G
Hani birazda çakırsak eğer
F# Bm
Elleşmesin bize kimse
Bm A
Ay geceden ötede, uzakta
Bm A
Bir küçük pervaz önünde, vapurlar
Bm A
Sardunyam bana küsmüş, ağlar
G F#
Dayanmaz artık adam, ağlar
G F#
Dayanmaz İstanbul, ağlar
End of song Play again?
Manuş Baba - İstanbul Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Manuş Baba – İstanbul: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Bm and ends on F#. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = A# (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 B minor side because it opens on Bm, Bm is heard 9 times against 1 for D and the major V chord points straight at Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from D 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 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | D | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 1× |
| i | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 1× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | 1× |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | — |
| V/vi | F# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# | 3× |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 3× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | 3× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 9× |
| bVII | C | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | C · E · G | 5× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| vii | C#m | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E · G# | 1× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 9× |
| bII | C | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | C · E · G | 5× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| ii | C#m | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E · G# | 1× |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 1× |
| iii | Dm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F · A | 1× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | 1× |
| v | F#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# | — |
| V | F# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F# · A# · C# | 3× |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 3× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | 3× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 9 different chords appear 27 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Bm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from D, the same F# is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Bm. C is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2
- F# Bm DV/vi → vi BmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×1
- C D DbVII → IbVII → I BmbII → III ×1
The move to watch is A → Bm, heard 2 times. From the Bm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the D side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected D, lands on Bm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
- Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — 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 G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When F# comes, swap the scale's A for A#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On C, follow the chord's notes (C · E · G) 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 D major shapes
- No capo — open D shapes
- Capo 2 + C shapes
- Capo 5 + A shapes
With B minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Am shapes
- Capo 7 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Bm; the ear learns where home is within a second. Bm, C, G, F# carry the song: vi–bVII–IV–V/vi relative to D, i–bII–VI–V relative to Bm. F# is the interesting twist: in D it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Bm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A → Bm (V → vi in D, VII → i in Bm): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. The final chord is F#; 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.
Manuş Baba - İstanbul 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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