Eric Clapton - Layla - Chord

Key Gb major – Eb minor Chords D#m, C#, B, A#, F, Dm7, Gm, C … Easy key F (capo 1)

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

D#m  B   C#  D#m
D#m  B   C#  A#  C#

Dm7                            A7
 What will you do when you get lonely?
Dm7    C#      D#      F    F7
No one waiting by your side
Gm          C           F               A#
You've been runnin' and hiding much too long
Gm            C                 F
You know it's just your foolish pride

A#    D#m  B
Layla
C#           D#m            D#m B
Got me on my knees, Layla
    C#              D#m          D#m B
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C#                D#m              D#m B   C#  A#  C#
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

Dm7                       A7
I tried to give you consolation
Dm7      C#     D#      F    F7
Your old man he let you down
Gm     C       F                 A#
Like a fool, I fell in love with you
Gm            C                  F 
You turned my whole world upside down

A#    D#m  B
Layla
       C#           D#m           D#m  B
You've got me on my knees, Layla
    C#              D#m           D#m  B
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C#                D#m                   D#m  B   C#  A#  C#
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

Dm7                     A7
Make the best of the situation
Dm7      C#      D#   F    F7
Before I finally go insane
Gm           C         F            A#
Please don't say we'll never find a way
Gm      C                F
Tell me all my love's in vain

A#    D#m  B
Layla
       C#           D#m          D#m B
You've got me on my knees, Layla
    C#              D#m           D#m B
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C#                D#m                   D#m  B   C#  D#m
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

   D#m  B
Layla
       C#           D#m          D#m B
You've got me on my knees, Layla
    C#              D#m           D#m B
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C#                D#m                   D#m  B    C#  D#m
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

D#m  B   C#  D#m

   D#m  B
Layla
       C#           D#m          D#m B
You've got me on my knees, Layla
    C#              D#m           D#m B
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C#                D#m                   D#m  B    C#  D#m
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

   D#m  B
Layla
       C#           D#m          D#m B
You've got me on my knees, Layla
    C#              D#m           D#m B
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C#                                  D#m  
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

End of song Play again?

Eric Clapton - Layla Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Eric Clapton – Layla: key and chord analysis

The song opens on D#m and ends on D#m. Its chords belong to both Gb major and Ebm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Gb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

Eb minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Cb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Db (natural-minor colour)
#7 = D (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 Eb minor side because it both starts and finishes on Ebm, Ebm is heard 49 times while Gb never appears and the major V chord points straight at Ebm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Gb 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 Gb or to Ebm; 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 Gb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Gb	Tonic — home	Gb · Bb · Db	—
bii	Gm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D	6×
ii	Abm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Ab · Cb · Eb	—
bIII7	A7	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	A · C# · E · G	3×
iii	Bbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Bb · Db · F	—
V/vi	A#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to D#msecondary dominant	A# · D · E#	9×
IV	B	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D# · F#	26×
#IV	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	6×
V	C#	Dominant — strongest pull home	C# · E# · G#	32×
bvi7	Dm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A · C	6×
vi	D#m	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D# · F# · A#	49×
VI	D#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D# · G · A#	3×
vii°	Fdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F · Ab · Cb	—
V/iii	F	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to A#msecondary dominant	F · A · C	9×
V7/iii	F7	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to A#msecondary dominant	F · A · C · Eb	3×

Seen from Eb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	D#m	Tonic — home	D# · F# · A#	49×
I	D#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D# · G · A#	3×
ii°	Fdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · Cb	—
V/v	F	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to A#msecondary dominant	F · A · C	9×
V7/v	F7	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to A#msecondary dominant	F · A · C · Eb	3×
III	Gb	Relative major — the bright side	Gb · Bb · Db	—
#iii	Gm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D	6×
iv	Abm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · Cb · Eb	—
#IV7	A7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	A · C# · E · G	3×
v	Bbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Bb · Db · F	—
V	A#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A# · D · E#	9×
VI	B	Submediant — warm colour	B · D# · F#	26×
#VI	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	6×
VII	C#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C# · E# · G#	32×
#vii7	Dm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A · C	6×

Analysis

The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 11 different chords appear 152 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Ebm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Gb, the same A# is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Ebm. F, F7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. A7 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

B C# GbIV → VIV → V EbmVI → VIIVI → VII ×26
C# D#m GbV → videceptive cadence EbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×23
A# D#m GbV/vi → vi EbmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×3
A7 Dm7 GbbIII7 → bvi7secondary resolution Ebm#IV7 → #vii7 ×3

The move to watch is B → C#, heard 26 times. From the Ebm side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic); from the Gb side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Gb major pentatonic and Eb minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Gb – Ab – Bb – Db – Eb): start from Gb for a brighter phrase, from Eb for a bluesier one.
Over D#m, land on D#, F#, A# — 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 B, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When A# comes, swap the scale's Db for D: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On A7, follow the chord's notes (A · 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 Gb major shapes

Capo 2 + E shapes
Capo 4 + D shapes
Capo 6 + C shapes

With Eb minor shapes

Capo 1 + Dm shapes
Capo 6 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is D#m; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are D#m, C#, B, A#; read them as vi–V–IV–V/vi in Gb or i–VII–VI–V in Ebm. A# is the interesting twist: in Gb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Ebm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on B → C# (IV → V in Gb, VI → VII in Ebm): VI → VII — the rising step that heads for the tonic. Ending on D#m, the song seals Ebm 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.