Major view
F major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = E (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Bb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Cem Karaca - Oğluma - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords Dm, A, Bb, C, Gm, F Easy key C (capo 5)
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
Dm Bb F C Dm
Dm Gm
Gam keder elem tasa gurbet hasret dertler geçer gider elbet
C Dm
Bir merhaba acı kahve hatır sorma ve dostluklar yaşar elbet
A Dm A Dm
Sımsıkı sev sen sevmeyi bazen almadan da vermeyi
Bb A Bb A Dm
İstanbul şehri malın olsa, ölümden öteye köy yok ya
Dm Gm
Gün olur devran döner akar seller kalır kumlar kavuşuruz
C Dm
Eser yeller yağar karlar gelir bahar açar güller koklaşırız
A Dm A Dm
Sultan Süleyman'a kalmamış, ha babam dönen şu dünya
Bb A Bb A Dm
Babanın tapulu malı olsa, kefenin cebinde yer yok ya
Gm A Gm A
Papazın eşeğini kovala dur, Ali'nin külahını Veli'ye uydur
C Bb Dm
Aldat dur aldan dur, oğlum hayat bu mudur
Dm Gm
İşte ağaç işte deniz işte toprak işte hayat budur oğlum
C Dm
İşte eller işte gayret işte ekmek işte hayat budur oğlum
A Dm A Dm
Başını dik tut hiç eğme sen, aklına ve yüreğine güven
Bb A Bb A Dm
Çağını bil çağına yakış, güzelliklerle yarış
End of song Play again?
Cem Karaca - Oğluma Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Cem Karaca – Oğluma: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Dm and ends on Dm. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
D minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = C# (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 D minor side because it both starts and finishes on Dm, Dm is heard 18 times against 1 for F and the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from F 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 F or to Dm; 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 | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 1× |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | 5× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | — |
| V/vi | A | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E | 14× |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 8× |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 5× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | 18× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | 18× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 1× |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | 5× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | — |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | 14× |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 8× |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 5× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 6 different chords appear 51 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm.
Chord movement
- A Dm FV/vi → vi DmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×9
- C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×4
- Gm C Fii → Vii → V Dmiv → VII ×3
- Gm A Fii → V/vi Dmiv → Viv → V ×2
- Bb F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×1
- Bb Dm FIV → vi DmVI → iVI → i ×1
The move to watch is A → Dm, heard 9 times. From the Dm side it is V → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the F side it reads V/vi → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
- Over Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When A comes, swap the scale's C for C#: 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 F major shapes
- Capo 1 + E shapes
- Capo 3 + D shapes
- Capo 5 + C shapes
With D minor shapes
- No capo — open Dm shapes
- Capo 5 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening Dm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Dm, A, Bb, C; read them as vi–V/vi–IV–V in F or i–V–VI–VII in Dm. A is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A → Dm (V/vi → vi in F, V → i in Dm): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. Ending on Dm, the song seals Dm 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.
Cem Karaca - Oğluma 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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