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)
The Police - Every Breath You Take - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Ab, Db, Fm, Ebsus2, E, Bbsus2, Gb Easy key G (capo 1)
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Ab Fm Db Ebsus2 Ab
Ab
Every breath you take
Fm
Every move you make
Db
Every bond you break
Ebsus2
Every step you take
Ab
I'll be watching you
Ab
Every single day
Fm
And every word you say
Db
Every game you play
Ebsus2
Every night you stay
Ab
I'll be watching you
Db Ab
Oh can't you see, you belong to me
Bbsus2 Ebsus2
How my poor heart aches, with every step you take
Ab
And every move you make
Fm
And every vow you break
Db
Every smile you fake
Ebsus2
Every claim you stake
Ab
I'll be watching you
E Gb
Since you've gone I've been lost without a trace
E
I dream at night, I can only see your face
Gb
I look around but it's you I can't replace
E
I feel so cold and I long for your embrace
Ab
I keep crying baby, baby, please
Fm Db Ebsus2 Fm
Db Ab
Oh can't you see, you belong to me
Bbsus2 Ebsus2
How my poor heart aches, with every step you take
Ab
Every breath you take
Fm
Every move you make
Db
Every bond you break
Ebsus2
Every step you take
Ab
I'll be watching you
Ab Fm Db
I'll be watching you
Ab Fm Db
I'll be watching you
Ab Fm Db
I'll be watching you
Ab Fm Db
I'll be watching you
Ab Fm Db
I'll be watching you
Ab Fm Db
I'll be watching you
Ab Fm Db
I'll be watching you
End of song Play again?
The Police - Every Breath You Take Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
The Police – Every Breath You Take: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Ab and ends on Db. 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 Ab major side because it opens on Ab and Ab is heard 20 times against 14 for Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
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 | 20× |
| IIsus2 | Bbsus2 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · C · F | 2× |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | — |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | — |
| V/vi | C | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G | — |
| IV | Db | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | 15× |
| Vsus2 | Ebsus2 | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · F · Bb | 8× |
| V | Eb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| bVI | E | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | E · G# · B | 3× |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | 14× |
| bVII | Gb | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | Gb · Bb · Db | 2× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | 14× |
| bII | Gb | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | Gb · Bb · Db | 2× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | 20× |
| IVsus2 | Bbsus2 | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · C · F | 2× |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | — |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | — |
| V | C | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G | — |
| VI | Db | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | 15× |
| VIIsus2 | Ebsus2 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · F · Bb | 8× |
| VII | Eb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| #VII | E | 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 64 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. E, Gb are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- Db Ab AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×8
- Db Ebsus2 AbIV → Vsus2 FmVI → VIIsus2VI → VII ×6
- Ebsus2 Fm AbVsus2 → vi FmVIIsus2 → iAeolian arrival ×1
The move to watch is Db → Ab, heard 8 times. From the Ab side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Fm side it is VI → III. 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 Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On E, follow the chord's notes (E · G# · B) 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 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
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
- 6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Ab lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Ab, Db, Fm, Ebsus2; read them as I–IV–vi–Vsus2 in Ab or III–VI–i–VIIsus2 in Fm. E briefly darkens the picture: borrowed from the parallel minor. Keep an ear on Db → Ab (IV → I in Ab, VI → III in Fm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on Db, the song seals Ab 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.
The Police - Every Breath You Take 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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