Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Bee Gees - Stayin Alive - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Fm, A#, D#, Em, Cm7, D, Bm7 Easy key F (capo 3)
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Fm A#
Fm
Fm
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
D# Fm
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk
Fm
Music loud and women warm
D# Fm
I've been kicked around since I was born
A#
But now it's all right, that's okay
A#
You may look the other way
A#
We can try to understand
A#
The New York Times' effect on man
Fm
Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
Fm
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Fm
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
Fm
I'm a-stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Fm Fm
Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Fm Fm D# Fm Cm7
Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' ali i i i ive
Fm
Oh, when you walk
Fm
Well, now I get low and I get high
D# Fm
And if I can't get either, I really try
Fm
Got the wings of heaven on my shoes
D# Fm
I'm a dancin' man, and I just can't lose
A#
You know, it's all right, it's okay
A#
I'll live to see another day
A#
We can try to understand
A#
The New York Times' effect on man
Fm
Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
Fm
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Fm
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
Fm
I'm a-stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Fm Fm
Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Fm Fm D# Fm Cm7
Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' ali i i i ive
Fm
Oooooh
A#
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Fm
Somebody help me, yeah
A#
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
A# Fm
I'm stayin' alive
Fm
Well, you can tell by the way I use my walk
D# Fm
I'm a woman's man, no time to talk
Fm
Music loud and women warm
D# Fm
I've been kicked around since I was born
A#
But now it's all right, that's okay
A#
You may look the other way
A#
We can try to understand
A#
The New York Times' effect on man
Fm
Whether you're a brother or whether you're a mother
Fm
You're stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Fm
Feel the city breakin' and everybody shakin'
Fm
I'm a-stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Fm Fm
Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' alive, stayin' alive
Em Em D Em Bm7
Ah, ah, ah, ah, stayin' ali i i i ive
Fm
Yeah
A#
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Fm
Somebody help me, yeah
A# Fm
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
Fm
I'm stayin' ali i i i ive
A#
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Fm
Somebody help me, yeah
A# Fm
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
Fm
I'm stayin' ali i i i ive
A#
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Fm
Somebody help me, yeah
A# Fm
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
Fm
I'm stayin' ali i i i ive
A#
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me
Fm
Somebody help me, yeah
A# Fm
Life goin' nowhere, somebody help me, yeah
Fm
I'm stayin' ali i i i ive
End of song Play again?
Bee Gees - Stayin Alive Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Bee Gees – Stayin Alive: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Fm and ends on Fm. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F minor side because it both starts and finishes on Fm and Fm is heard 55 times while Ab never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab 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 Ab or to Fm; 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 | Ab | Tonic — home | Ab · C · Eb | — |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | — |
| V/V | A# | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to D#secondary dominant | A# · D · E# | 24× |
| biii7 | Bm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D · F# · A | 1× |
| iii7 | Cm7 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G · Bb | 2× |
| V/vi | C | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G | — |
| IV | Db | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | — |
| #IV | D | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F# · A | 1× |
| V | D# | Dominant — strongest pull home | D# · G · A# | 8× |
| bvi | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 3× |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | 55× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | 55× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | — |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | — |
| IV | A# | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | A# · D · E# | 24× |
| #iv7 | Bm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D · F# · A | 1× |
| v7 | Cm7 | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G · Bb | 2× |
| V | C | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G | — |
| VI | Db | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | — |
| #VI | D | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · F# · A | 1× |
| VII | D# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | D# · G · A# | 8× |
| #vii | Em | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B | 3× |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 7 different chords appear 94 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. A# acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- D# Fm AbV → videceptive cadence FmVII → iAeolian arrival ×8
- Cm7 Fm Abiii7 → vi Fmv7 → inatural-minor cadence ×2
The move to watch is D# → Fm, heard 8 times. From the Fm side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the Ab side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected Ab, lands on Fm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A#, land on A#, D, E# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over D#, land on D#, G, A# — 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 Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
- 4 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Fm; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is Fm, A#, D#, Em — vi–V/V–V–bvi from the Ab side, i–IV–VII–#vii from the Fm side. A# adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to D#. Keep an ear on D# → Fm (V → vi in Ab, VII → i in Fm): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. Ending on Fm, the song seals Fm 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.
Bee Gees - Stayin Alive 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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