Major view
D major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Santana - The Game Of Love (Michelle Branch) - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords Em7, Dmaj7, G, A, D, Em, Bm, F#m … Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
Em7 Dmaj7 Em7 Dmaj7
Em7 Dmaj7 G A
Em7 Dmaj7 Em7 Dmaj7
Tell me just what you want me to be
Em7 Dmaj7 Em7 Dmaj7
One kiss and boom you're the only one for me
Em7 Dmaj7 G A
So please tell me why don't you come around no more
Em7 D G A
Cause right now I'm crying outside the door of your candy store
Em7 Dmaj7
It just takes a little bit of this, a little bit of that
Em7 Dmaj7
It started with a kiss, now we're up to bat
Em7 Dmaj7
A little bit of laughs, a little bit of pain
G A Em7
I'm telling you my babe, It's all in the game of love
Em7 Dmaj7 Em7 Dmaj7
This whatever you make it to be
Em7 Dmaj7 Em7 Dmaj7
Sunshine set on this cold lonely sea
Em7 Dmaj7 G A
So please baby try and use me for what I'm good for
Em7 D G A
It ain't sayin' goodbye that's knocking down the door of your candy store
Em7 Dmaj7
It just takes a little bit of this, a little bit of that
Em7 Dmaj7
It started with a kiss, now we're up to bat
Em7 Dmaj7
A little bit of laughs, a little bit of pain
G A Em7
I'm telling you my babe, It's all in the game of love
Dmaj7 G A
It's all in the game of love
Bm F#m G A
You roll me, control me, console me, please hold me
Bm F#m7 G A
You guide me, divide me, into what
Em7 Dmaj7 Em7 Dmaj7
Em7 Dmaj7 G A
Em7 Dmaj7 G A
So please tell me why don't you come around no more
Em7 D G A
Cause right now I'm dying outside the door of your loving store
Em7 Dmaj7
It just takes a little bit of this, a little bit of that
Em7 Dmaj7
It started with a kiss, now we're up to bat
Em7 Dmaj7
A little bit of laughs, a little bit of pain
G A Em7
I'm telling you my babe, It's all in the game of love
Em Dmaj7
(Little bit of this, little bit of that) It's all in the game of love
Em Dmaj7
(Little bit of this, little bit of that) It's all in this game of love
Em Dmaj7 G A
(Little bit of this, little bit of that) Let’s play the game of love
Em7 Dmaj7 Em7 Dmaj7
Roll me, control me, please hold me (make me feel good, yeah)
Em7 Dmaj7
A little bit of this, a little bit of that
G A
Now I’m on my own, on my own
Em7 Dmaj7 Em7 Dmaj7
Em7 Dmaj7 G A
End of song Play again?
Santana - The Game Of Love (Michelle Branch) Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Santana – The Game Of Love (Michelle Branch): key and chord analysis
The song opens on Em7 and ends on A. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because D is heard 39 times against 2 for Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from B minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Dmaj7 | Tonic — home | D · F# · A · C# | 36× |
| I | D | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 3× |
| ii7 | Em7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B · D | 38× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | 3× |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | 1× |
| iii7 | F#m7 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# · E | 1× |
| V/vi | F# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# | — |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 17× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | 17× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 2× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 2× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| IIImaj7 | Dmaj7 | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A · C# | 36× |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 3× |
| iv7 | Em7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B · D | 38× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | 3× |
| v | F#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# | 1× |
| v7 | F#m7 | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# · E | 1× |
| V | F# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | F# · A# · C# | — |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 17× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | 17× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 9 different chords appear 118 times in total; 9 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- G A DIV → VIV → V BmVI → VIIVI → VII ×17
- A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2
The move to watch is G → A, heard 17 times. From the D side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home); from the Bm side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
- Over Em7, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dmaj7, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over G, land on G, B, D — 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 D major shapes
- No capo — open D shapes
- Capo 2 + C shapes
- Capo 5 + A shapes
With B minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Am shapes
- Capo 7 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Em7; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is Em7, Dmaj7, G, A — ii7–Imaj7–IV–V from the D side, iv7–IIImaj7–VI–VII from the Bm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on G → A (IV → V in D, VI → VII in Bm): IV → V — the lift that builds tension before home. The final chord is A; the ear comes to rest in D.
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.
Santana - The Game Of Love (Michelle Branch) 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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