Cem Karaca - Sevda Kuşun Kanadında - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords E, Am, Dm, F Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

E       Am  Dm                 Am  
Dağbaşında  rastladım aksakallı birisine 
Dm                    Am            E
Bin yıllık bir halıya bin yıldan beri 
                  F      E
Bağdaş kurmuş bir çınar gibiydi 

E       Am   Dm              Am          
Sordum ona,  Aşk ne ustam hayatın sırrı ne,
Dm              Am      E
Tepeden tırnağa aşığım ben 
     
Ve koskoca bir hayat var önümde 

Am          E
Sevda kuşun kanadında 
           F      E
Ürkütürsen tutamazsın 
Dm       Am
Ökse ile sapanla 
F           Dm      E
Vurursun da saramazsın 

Am             E
Hayat sırrının suyunu 
            F      E
Çeşmelerden bulamazsın 
Dm          Am  
Ansızın bir deli çaydan 
F           Dm     E 
İçersin de kanamazsın

End of song Play again?

Cem Karaca - Sevda Kuşun Kanadında Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Cem Karaca – Sevda Kuşun Kanadında: key and chord analysis

The song opens on E and ends on E. 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)
#7 = G# (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 A minor side because Am is heard 10 times while C never appears and the major V chord points straight at Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C 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 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	—
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	8×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	—
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	11×
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	5×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	—
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	10×
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	10×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	—
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	8×
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	11×
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	5×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	—

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 4 different chords appear 34 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am.

Chord movement

Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×6
E Am CV/vi → vi AmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×4
Dm E Cii → V/vi Amiv → Viv → V ×2

The move to watch is Dm → Am, heard 6 times. From the Am side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic); from the C side it reads ii → vi. 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 E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When E comes, swap the scale's G for G#: 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 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

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

The opening E lays a solid floor for everything that follows. E, Am, Dm, F carry the song: V/vi–vi–ii–IV relative to C, V–i–iv–VI relative to Am. E is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Dm → Am (ii → vi in C, iv → i in Am): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. Ending on E, the song seals C 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.