Eric Clapton - Tears In Heaven - Chord

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#m; 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.

Analysis

The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 14 different chords appear 126 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of F#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from A, the same C# is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for F#m. F# acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. G, C, G/B are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

1. E → F#m AV → videceptive cadence F#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×17
2. E7 → A AV7 → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII7 → III ×9
3. D → A AIV → Iplagal cadence F#mVI → III ×8
4. E → A AV → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII → III ×5
5. D → E7sus AIV → V7sus4IV → V F#mVI → VII7sus4VI → VII ×5
6. Bm → E7 Aii → V7ii → V F#miv → VII7 ×4

The move to watch is E → F#m, heard 17 times. From the A side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected A, lands on F#m); from the F#m side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Capo and easier keys

The song's harmonic story

The opening A lays a solid floor for everything that follows. A, E, F#m, D carry the song: I–V–vi–IV relative to A, III–VII–i–VI relative to F#m. C# is the interesting twist: in A it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in F#m it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on E → F#m (V → vi in A, VII → i in F#m): deceptive cadence — expected A, lands on F#m. Ending on A, the song seals A 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.