Rihanna - Umbrella - Chord

Key Db major – Bb minor Chords Gb, Bbm, F, Db, Ab/C, Ab, B, Db/G Easy key G (capo 6)

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Capo 0

    Gb                               Db
You had my heart, and we'll never be world apart
         F                           Bbm     
Maybe in magazines, but you'll still be my star
           Gb                       Db
Baby cause in the Dark, You can see shiny Cars 
                    F
And that's when you need me there 
              Bbm
With you I'll always share
       Gb
Because 

Gb
When the sun shines
            Db
We’ll shine together 
                      Ab
Told you I'll be here forever 
                         Bbm
That I'll always be your friend 
                                         Gb
Took an oath Imma stick it out 'till the end
                                Db
Now that it's raining more than ever
                             Ab
Know that we still have each other 
                            Bbm
You can stand under my Umbrella 
                            Gb
You can stand under my Umbrella 

              Ab/C
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
            F 
Under my umbrella 
              Bbm
(ella ella eh eh eh)
             Gb
Under my umbrella
              Ab/C
(ella ella eh eh eh) 
             F
Under my umbrella
              Bbm
(ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh) 

      Gb                            Db
These fancy things, will never come in between
                  F                Bbm
You're part of my entity, Here for Infinity
                 Gb
When the war has took it's part
                   Db
When the world has dealt it's cards
       F                            Bbm
If the hand is hard, Together we'll mend your heart
        Gb
Because 

Gb
When the sun shines
            Db
We’ll shine together 
                      Ab
Told you I'll be here forever 
                         Bbm
That I'll always be your friend 
                                         Gb
Took an oath Imma stick it out 'till the end
                                Db
Now that it's raining more than ever
                             Ab
Know that we still have each other 
                            Bbm
You can stand under my Umbrella 
                            Gb
You can stand under my Umbrella 

              Ab/C
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
            F 
Under my umbrella 
              Bbm
(ella ella eh eh eh)
             Gb
Under my umbrella
              Ab/C
(ella ella eh eh eh) 
             F
Under my umbrella
              Bbm
(ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh) 

B                      Gb
   You can run into my Arms 
                     Db
It's okay don't be alarmed
 
(Come into Me) 

(There's no distance in between our love)
B                     Gb
So Gonna let the rain pour
                         F 
I'll be all you need and more 
        Gb
Because

Gb
When the sun shines
            Ab/C
We'll shine Together
                      F 
Told you I'll be here forever 
                         Bbm
That I'll always be your friend
                                         Gb
Took an oath Imma stick it out 'till the end 
                                Ab/C
Now that it's raining more than ever 
                             F
Know that we still have each other 
                          Bbm
You can stand under my Umbrella
                          Gb
You can stand under my Umbrella

              Db/G
(Ella ella eh eh eh)
             F 
Under my umbrella 
              Bbm
(ella ella eh eh eh)
             Gb
Under my umbrella
               Ab/C
(ella ella eh eh eh)
            F 
Under my umbrella
              Bbm
(ella ella eh eh eh eh eh eh) 

     Gb
It's raining (raining)
              Ab/C
Ooo baby it's raining 
     F
baby come into me 
     Bbm
Come into me 
     Gb
It's raining (raining)
              Ab/C
Ooo baby it's raining
                    F
You can always come into me
     Bbm
Come into me

End of song Play again?

Rihanna - Umbrella Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Rihanna – Umbrella: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Gb and ends on Bbm. 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)
#7 = A (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 Bb minor side because it comes to rest on Bbm, Bbm is heard 18 times against 10 for Db and the major V chord points straight at Bbm. 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	Db	Tonic — home	Db · F · Ab	9×
I	Db/G	Tonic — home	Db · F · Ab	1×
ii	Ebm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Eb · Gb · Bb	—
iii	Fm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F · Ab · C	—
V/vi	F	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bbmsecondary dominant	F · A · C	15×
IV	Gb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · Bb · Db	23×
V	Ab/C	Dominant — strongest pull home	Ab · C · Eb	9×
V	Ab	Dominant — strongest pull home	Ab · C · Eb	4×
vi	Bbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Bb · Db · F	18×
bVII	B	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	B · D# · F#	2×
vii°	Cdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C · Eb · Gb	—

Seen from Bb minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bbm	Tonic — home	Bb · Db · F	18×
bII	B	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	B · D# · F#	2×
ii°	Cdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · Gb	—
III	Db	Relative major — the bright side	Db · F · Ab	9×
III	Db/G	Relative major — the bright side	Db · F · Ab	1×
iv	Ebm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · Gb · Bb	—
v	Fm	Minor dominant — soft pull	F · Ab · C	—
V	F	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F · A · C	15×
VI	Gb	Submediant — warm colour	Gb · Bb · Db	23×
VII	Ab/C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Ab · C · Eb	9×
VII	Ab	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Ab · C · Eb	4×

Analysis

The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 8 different chords appear 81 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Bbm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Db, the same F is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Bbm. B is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

F Bbm DbV/vi → vi BbmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×14
Gb Db DbIV → Iplagal cadence BbmVI → III ×9
Gb Ab/C DbIV → VIV → V BbmVI → VIIVI → VII ×9
Ab Bbm DbV → videceptive cadence BbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×4
Gb Db/G DbIV → Iplagal cadence BbmVI → III ×1

The move to watch is F → Bbm, heard 14 times. From the Bbm side it is V → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the Db side it reads V/vi → 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 Gb, land on Gb, Bb, Db — 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 F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When F comes, swap the scale's Ab for A: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On B, follow the chord's notes (B · D# · F#) 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 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

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Gb, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Gb, Bbm, F, Db; read them as IV–vi–V/vi–I in Db or VI–i–V–III in Bbm. F is the interesting twist: in Db it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Bbm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on F → Bbm (V/vi → vi in Db, V → i in Bbm): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. Ending on Bbm, the song seals Bbm 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.