Erkin Koray - Cemalım - Chord

Key Db major – Bb minor Chords Fm, Ab, Gb, Ebm Easy key C (capo 1)

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Capo 0

Fm                          Ebm
Şen olasın Ürgüp dumanın tütmez
Ab             Gb        Fm
Kır atım acemi konağı tutmaz

Fm                          Ebm
Oğlunda pek küçük yerini tutmaz

Ab              Gb         Fm
Cemalım Cemalım Aslan Cemalım
Ab               Gb          Fm
Al kanlar içinde kaldın Cemalım
 
Fm                            Ebm
Ürgüp'ten de çıktığımı görmüşler
Ab              Gb           Fm
Kır atımın sekişinden bilmişler

Fm                       Ebm
Beni öldürmeye karar vermişler

Ab              Gb         Fm
Cemalım Cemalım Aslan Cemalım
Ab               Gb          Fm
Al kanlar içinde kaldın Cemalım

End of song Play again?

Erkin Koray - Cemalım Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Erkin Koray – Cemalım: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Fm and ends on Fm. 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)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between Db major and Bb minor. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.

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	—
ii	Ebm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Eb · Gb · Bb	4×
iii	Fm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F · Ab · C	10×
III	F	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · A · C	—
IV	Gb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · Bb · Db	6×
V	Ab	Dominant — strongest pull home	Ab · C · Eb	6×
vi	Bbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Bb · Db · F	—
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	—
ii°	Cdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · Gb	—
III	Db	Relative major — the bright side	Db · F · Ab	—
iv	Ebm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · Gb · Bb	4×
v	Fm	Minor dominant — soft pull	F · Ab · C	10×
V	F	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F · A · C	—
VI	Gb	Submediant — warm colour	Gb · Bb · Db	6×
VII	Ab	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Ab · C · Eb	6×

Analysis

The key pair is Db major and its relative Bb minor (5 flats). 4 different chords appear 26 times in total; 4 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

Ebm Ab Dbii → Vii → V Bbmiv → VII ×4

The move to watch is Ebm → Ab, heard 4 times. From the Db side it reads ii → V (ii → V: the classic preparation of the dominant); from the Bbm side it is iv → VII. 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 Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gb, land on Gb, Bb, Db — 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 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

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Fm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Fm, Ab, Gb, Ebm; read them as iii–V–IV–ii in Db or v–VII–VI–iv in Bbm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Ebm → Ab (ii → V in Db, iv → VII in Bbm): ii → V — the classic preparation of the dominant. It closes on Fm, letting the Db 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.