Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
LeAnn Rimes - How Do I Live - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords F#m7, A, D, G, Asus, Bsus, G#m7, C#m7 … Easy key G (capo 2)
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
D A G F#m7 D A G A Bsus
Bsus E B
How do I, get through one night without you
F#m7
If I had to live without you
Bsus
What kind of life would that be
E B
Oh and I, I need you and my arms need you to hold
A
Your my world my heart my soul
G#m7 C#m7
If you ever leave
F#m7 G#m7 C#m7 Asus
Baby you would take away everything, good in my life
Asus D
And tell me now
A G F#m7 D
How do I live without you, I want to know
A G F#m7 Bm7
How do I breathe without you if you ever go
A F#m7 G
How do I ever, ever survive
Asus D A Bsus
How do I, How do I, Oh how do I live
Bsus E B
Without you, there'd be no sun in my sky
F#m7
There would be no love in my life
Bsus
There'd be no world left for me
E B
And I, baby I don't know what I would do
A
I'd be lost if I lost you
G#m7 C#m7
If you ever leave
F#m7 G#m7 C#m7 Asus
Baby you would take away everything real in my life
Asus D
And tell me now
A G F#m7 D
How do I live without you, I want to know
A G F#m7 Bm7
How do I breathe without you if you ever go
A F#m7 G
How do I ever, ever survive
Asus Bm7
How do I, How do I, Oh how do I live
Bm7 F#m7 Em7 F#m7 Bm7 F#m7 Bsus
G#m7 C#m7
If you ever leave
F#m7 G#m7 C#m7
Baby you would take away everything, I need you with me
F#m7 G#m7 C#m7 Asus
Baby 'cause you know that you're everything good in my life
Asus D
And tell me now
A G F#m7 D
How do I live without you, I want to know
A G F#m7 Bm7
How do I breathe without you if you ever go
A F#m7 G
How do I ever, ever survive
Asus D
How do I, How do I, Oh how do I live
D A G F#m7 D
How do I live
D A G F#m7 D
How do I live
End of song Play again?
LeAnn Rimes - How Do I Live Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
LeAnn Rimes – How Do I Live: key and chord analysis
The song opens on D and ends on D. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because A is heard 26 times against 21 for F#m. 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 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 17× |
| Isus4 | Asus | Tonic — home | A · D · E | 9× |
| IIsus4 | Bsus | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · E · F# | 7× |
| ii7 | Bm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# · A | 6× |
| V/V | B | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Esecondary dominant | B · D# · F# | 4× |
| iii7 | C#m7 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# · B | 7× |
| V/vi | C# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to F#msecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 14× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 4× |
| v7 | Em7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B · D | 1× |
| vi7 | F#m7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# · E | 21× |
| bVII | G | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | G · B · D | 13× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| vii7 | G#m7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G# · B · D# · F# | 7× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | F#m7 | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# · E | 21× |
| bII | G | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | G · B · D | 13× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| ii7 | G#m7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G# · B · D# · F# | 7× |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 17× |
| IIIsus4 | Asus | Relative major — the bright side | A · D · E | 9× |
| IVsus4 | Bsus | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · E · F# | 7× |
| iv7 | Bm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# · A | 6× |
| IV | B | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | B · D# · F# | 4× |
| v7 | C#m7 | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# · B | 7× |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | — |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 14× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 4× |
| vii7 | Em7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B · D | 1× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 12 different chords appear 110 times in total; 8 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. B acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. G is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- D A AIV → Iplagal cadence F#mVI → III ×11
- C#m7 F#m7 Aiii7 → vi7 F#mv7 → i7natural-minor cadence ×4
- G Asus AbVII → Isus4bVII → I F#mbII → IIIsus4 ×3
- Bm7 F#m7 Aii7 → vi7 F#miv7 → i7minor plagal ×2
- G A AbVII → IbVII → I F#mbII → III ×1
The move to watch is D → A, heard 11 times. From the A side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the F#m side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over F#m7, land on F#, A, C# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On G, follow the chord's notes (G · B · D) 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 A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on D, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is F#m7, A, D, G — vi7–I–IV–bVII from the A side, i7–III–VI–bII from the F#m side. B adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to E. Keep an ear on D → A (IV → I in A, VI → III in F#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on D, 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.
LeAnn Rimes - How Do I Live 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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