Bremen - İstanbul - Chord

Key Eb major – C minor Chords Gm, Ab, Fm, Cm Easy key C (capo 3)

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Gm                Ab
Bir İstanbul beni anlayan
    Fm               Gm
Dertten kederden hep saklayan
                  Ab
Bir İstanbul beni anlayan
    Fm                Gm
Geceleri gündüzlerime sığmayan

Gm
Caddeden yukarıya

Kadıköy’den aşağıya
                   Ab
Gidiyorum yine ben

Eyvallah

Gm
Kendime kandım

Taksim’e sardım
                  Ab
Beyoğlu’na vardım

Eyvallah

Gm
İstanbul’un aşkına

Tünel’in yokuşuna
                  Ab
Karaköy’e akışına

Eyvallah

Gm
Beşiktaş’a doğru

Ortaköy’ü sordu
               Ab
Boğaz da sondu
          Gm
Hiç sanmam ben

Gm         Cm
İstanbul bu hiç bitmez
Fm         Ab        Gm
Işıkları yanar da sönmez
              Cm
Başka bir yare benzemez
Fm            Ab       Gm
İstanbul bu seni terketmez

End of song Play again?

Bremen - İstanbul Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Bremen – İstanbul: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Gm and ends on Gm. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Eb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = D (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Ab (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

C minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Bb (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C minor side because Cm is heard 2 times while Eb never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Eb 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 Eb or to Cm; 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 Eb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Eb	Tonic — home	Eb · G · Bb	—
ii	Fm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F · Ab · C	4×
iii	Gm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	G · Bb · D	11×
V/vi	G	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant	G · B · D	—
IV	Ab	Subdominant — moves away from home	Ab · C · Eb	8×
V	Bb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Bb · D · F	—
vi	Cm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	C · Eb · G	2×
vii°	Ddim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D · F · Ab	—

Seen from C minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Cm	Tonic — home	C · Eb · G	2×
ii°	Ddim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · Ab	—
III	Eb	Relative major — the bright side	Eb · G · Bb	—
iv	Fm	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · Ab · C	4×
v	Gm	Minor dominant — soft pull	G · Bb · D	11×
V	G	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	G · B · D	—
VI	Ab	Submediant — warm colour	Ab · C · Eb	8×
VII	Bb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Bb · D · F	—

Analysis

The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 4 different chords appear 25 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

Gm Cm Ebiii → vi Cmv → inatural-minor cadence ×2

The move to watch is Gm → Cm, heard 2 times. From the Cm side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival); from the Eb side it reads iii → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
Over Gm, land on G, Bb, D — 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 Fm, land on F, Ab, C — 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 Eb major shapes

Capo 1 + D shapes
Capo 3 + C shapes
Capo 6 + A shapes

With C minor shapes

Capo 3 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
4 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Gm; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Gm, Ab, Fm, Cm; read them as iii–IV–ii–vi in Eb or v–VI–iv–i in Cm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Gm → Cm (iii → vi in Eb, v → i in Cm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. Ending on Gm, the song seals Eb 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.