Sertab Erener - Kafi - Chord

Key Db major – Bb minor Chords C, Bbm, C#, Fm, F# Easy key F

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

C   C#   Bbm   C

C       C#           Bbm             C
Gül akşamdan açmış, kokusunda çağrı var
C         C#           Bbm              C
Dert toplansın gelsin, ölüm yoksa çare var
C      C#             Bbm            C
Yel esiyor efil efil, geçiyor hatıralar
C        C#         Bbm             C
Dil görünce suspus, görmeyince tarumar
 

Bbm     Fm        F#      Fm
Hiç gözümde değil dünya fani
Bbm     Fm       F#     Fm
Sen ille de sen olsan safi
    F#   C  Fm
Bu bana kafi

C       C#           Bbm            C
Kin uzakta dursun affedersen huzur var
C       C#        Bbm              C
El anlamaz halden çare yine eski dostlar

End of song Play again?

Sertab Erener - Kafi Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sertab Erener – Kafi: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C and ends on C. Its chords belong to both Db major and Bbm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Db major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = C (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Gb (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

Bb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Gb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Ab (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Bb minor side because Bbm is heard 9 times against 7 for Db. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Db 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 Db or to Bbm; 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 Db major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C#	Tonic — home	C# · E# · G#	7×
ii	Ebm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Eb · Gb · Bb	—
iii	Fm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F · Ab · C	5×
V/vi	F	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant	F · A · C	—
IV	F#	Subdominant — moves away from home	F# · A# · C#	3×
V	Ab	Dominant — strongest pull home	Ab · C · Eb	—
vi	Bbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Bb · Db · F	9×
vii°	Cdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C · Eb · Gb	—
V/iii	C	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	15×

Seen from Bb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bbm	Tonic — home	Bb · Db · F	9×
ii°	Cdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · Gb	—
V/v	C	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	15×
III	C#	Relative major — the bright side	C# · E# · G#	7×
iv	Ebm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · Gb · Bb	—
v	Fm	Minor dominant — soft pull	F · Ab · C	5×
V	F	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F · A · C	—
VI	F#	Submediant — warm colour	F# · A# · C#	3×
VII	Ab	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Ab · C · Eb	—

Analysis

The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 5 different chords appear 39 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. C acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

Fm Bbm Dbiii → vi Bbmv → inatural-minor cadence ×1

The move to watch is Fm → Bbm, heard once. From the Bbm side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival); from the Db side it reads iii → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Db major pentatonic and Bb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Db – Eb – F – Ab – Bb): start from Db for a brighter phrase, from Bb for a bluesier one.
Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Bbm, land on Bb, Db, 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.

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 Db major shapes

Capo 1 + C shapes
Capo 4 + A shapes
Capo 6 + G shapes

With Bb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Am shapes
Capo 6 + Em shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on C, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is C, Bbm, C#, Fm — V/iii–vi–I–iii from the Db side, V/v–i–III–v from the Bbm side. C adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Fm. Keep an ear on Fm → Bbm (iii → vi in Db, v → i in Bbm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. It closes on C, letting the Db 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.