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)
Sting - Shape Of My Heart - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords F#m, C#sus4, C#7, E6, Bm, Dmaj7, D6, A Easy key C
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
He deals the cards as a meditation
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
And those he plays never suspect
D6 A C#7
He doesn't play for the money he wins
Dmaj7 C#sus4 F#m
He don't play for respect
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
He deals the cards to find the answer
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
The sacred geometry of chance
D6 A C#7
A hidden law of a probable outcome
Dmaj7 C#sus4 F#m
The numbers lead a dance
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
I know that the spades are the swords of a soldier
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
I know that the clubs are weapons of war
D6 A C#7
I know that diamonds mean money for this art
Dmaj7 C#sus4 F#m
But thats not the shape of my heart
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
He may play the Jack of diamonds
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
He may lay the Queen of Spades
D6 A C#7
He may conceal a King in his hand
Dmaj7 C#sus4 F#m
While the memory of it fades
Dmaj7 C#sus4
Thats not the shape
F#m
The shape of my heart
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
And if I told you that I loved you
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
You'd maybe think there's something wrong
D6 A C#7
I'm not a man of too many faces
Dmaj7 C#sus4 F#m
The mask I wear is one
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
But those who speak know nothing
F#m E6 Bm C#sus4 C#7
And find out to their cost
D6 A C#7
Like those who curse their luck in too many places
Dmaj7 C#sus4 F#m
And those who fear a loss
F#m Dmaj7 C#sus4 F#m
Thats not the shape of my heart
F#m Dmaj7 C#sus4
Thats not the shape
F#m
The shape of my heart
--x-------x--
--x----------
--x----------
--x---x------ F#m
--x---x------
--x----------
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
End of song Play again?
Sting - Shape Of My Heart Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Sting – Shape Of My Heart: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F#m and ends on F#m. 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)
- #7 = E# (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 F# minor side because it both starts and finishes on F#m, F#m is heard 23 times against 6 for A and the major V chord points straight at F#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from A 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 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 | 6× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | 12× |
| IIIsus4 | C#sus4 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · F# · G# | 21× |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| V7/vi | C#7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to F#msecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# · B | 18× |
| IVmaj7 | Dmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A · C# | 9× |
| IV6 | D6 | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A · B | 6× |
| V6 | E6 | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B · C# | 12× |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | 23× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | 23× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 6× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | 12× |
| Vsus4 | C#sus4 | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · F# · G# | 21× |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | — |
| V7 | C#7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# · B | 18× |
| VImaj7 | Dmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A · C# | 9× |
| VI6 | D6 | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A · B | 6× |
| VII6 | E6 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B · C# | 12× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 8 different chords appear 107 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#7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for F#m.
Chord movement
- Bm C#sus4 Aii → IIIsus4 F#miv → Vsus4iv → V ×12
- C#sus4 F#m AIIIsus4 → vi F#mVsus4 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×9
- C#7 F#m AV7/vi → visecondary resolution F#mV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×6
- D6 A AIV6 → Iplagal cadence F#mVI6 → III ×6
The move to watch is Bm → C#sus4, heard 12 times. From the F#m side it is iv → Vsus4 (iv → V: the minor side's tension builder); from the A side it reads ii → IIIsus4. 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#m, land on F#, A, C# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C#sus4, land on C#, F#, G# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C#7, land on C#, E#, G# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When C#sus4 comes, swap the scale's E for E#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
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
- 3 semitones up
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on F#m, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. F#m, C#sus4, C#7, E6 carry the song: vi–IIIsus4–V7/vi–V6 relative to A, i–Vsus4–V7–VII6 relative to F#m. C#7 is the interesting twist: in A it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in F#m it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Bm → C#sus4 (ii → IIIsus4 in A, iv → Vsus4 in F#m): iv → V — the minor side's tension builder. It closes on F#m, letting the F#m side have the last word.
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.
Sting - Shape Of My Heart 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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