Lady Gaga - Shallow (Bradley Cooper) - Chord

Key G major – E minor Chords D, G, Em, C, Am, Bm, A Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0

Em  D  G
C   G  D
Em  D  G

Em       D         G
 Tell me somethin' girl
C                   G         D
 Are you happy in this modern world?
Em      D         G
 Or do you need more
C                               G         D
 Is there somethin' else you're searchin' for?

Em  D  G
I'm fallin'
C
 In all the good times
  G      D           Em   D   G
I find myself longin'      for change
C                       G      D
 And in the bad times I fear myself
 
Em  D  G

Em      D         G
Tell me something boy
C                          G         D
Aren't you tired tryin' to fill that void?
Em    D          G
Or do you need more
C                        G      D
Ain't it hard keepin' it so hardcore?

Em  D  G
I'm fallin'
C
 In all the good times
  G      D           Em   D   G
I find myself longin'      for change
C                       G      D
 And in the bad times I fear myself

Am
I'm off the deep end
D
Watch as I dive in
G          D        Em
I'll never meet the ground
Am
Crash through the surface
D
Where they can't hurt us
      G             D      Em
We're far from the shallow now

Am             D
 In the sha-ha-sha-ha-low
G       D          Em
 In the sha-sha-la-la-la-low
Am             D
 In the sha-ha-sha-ha-low
      G              D      Em
We're far from the shallow now

Em  Bm             D      A   Em   Bm   D   A
    oooohhhhh  oahhhhhhh, oahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Am
I'm off the deep end
D
Watch as I dive in
G          D        Em
I'll never meet the ground
Am
Crash through the surface
D
Where they can't hurt us
      G            D       Em
We're far from the shallow now

Am             D
 In the sha-ha-sha-ha-low
G       D          Em
 In the sha-sha-la-la-la-low
Am             D
 In the sha-ha-sha-ha-low
      G              D      Em
We're far from the shallow now

End of song Play again?

Lady Gaga - Shallow (Bradley Cooper) Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Lady Gaga – Shallow (Bradley Cooper): key and chord analysis

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

Major view

G major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = F# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = C (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

E minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = D (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the E minor side because it both starts and finishes on Em and G is heard 28 times against 21 for Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from G 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 G or to Em; 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 G major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	G	Tonic — home	G · B · D	28×
ii	Am	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · E	8×
V/V	A	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	2×
iii	Bm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	B · D · F#	2×
V/vi	B	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	—
IV	C	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · E · G	9×
V	D	Dominant — strongest pull home	D · F# · A	38×
vi	Em	Relative minor — the melancholy side	E · G · B	21×
vii°	F#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	F# · A · C	—

Seen from E minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Em	Tonic — home	E · G · B	21×
ii°	F#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	F# · A · C	—
III	G	Relative major — the bright side	G · B · D	28×
iv	Am	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C · E	8×
IV	A	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	A · C# · E	2×
v	Bm	Minor dominant — soft pull	B · D · F#	2×
V	B	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	B · D# · F#	—
VI	C	Submediant — warm colour	C · E · G	9×
VII	D	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	D · F# · A	38×

Analysis

The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 7 different chords appear 108 times in total; 6 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. A acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×19
D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×16
C G GIV → Iplagal cadence EmVI → III ×9
Am D Gii → Vii → V Emiv → VII ×8

The move to watch is D → G, heard 19 times. From the Em side it is VII → III; from the G side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
Over D, 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.
Over Em, land on E, G, B — 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 G major shapes

No capo — open G shapes
Capo 3 + E shapes
Capo 5 + D shapes

With E minor shapes

No capo — open Em shapes
Capo 2 + Dm shapes
Capo 7 + Am shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Em, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is D, G, Em, C — V–I–vi–IV from the G side, VII–III–i–VI from the Em side. A adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to D. Keep an ear on D → G (V → I in G, VII → III in Em): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on Em, letting the Em 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.