Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Grover Washington Jr. - Just the Two of Us (Bill Withers) - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Dbmaj7, C7, Fm, Eb7, Ab7, Em7 Easy key G (capo 1)
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm Eb7 Ab7 Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
I see the crystal raindrops fall
Eb7 Ab7 Dbmaj7
And the beauty of it all
C7 Fm
Is when the sun comes shining through
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
To make those rainbows in my mind
Eb7 Ab7 Dbmaj7
When I think of you sometime
C7 Fm
And I want to spend some time with you
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm Em7 Eb7
Just the two of us, we can make it if we try
Ab7 Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
Just the two of us, just the two of us
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm Em7 Eb7
Just the two of us, building castles in the sky
Ab7 Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
Just the two of us, you and I
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
We look for love, no time for tears
Eb7 Ab7 Dbmaj7
wasted water's all that is
C7 Fm
And it don't make no flowers grow
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
Good things might come to those who wait
Eb7 Ab7 Dbmaj7
But not for those who wait too late
C7 Fm
We've got to go for all we know
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm Em7 Eb7
Just the two of us, we can make it if we try
Ab7 Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
Just the two of us, just the two of us
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm Em7 Eb7
Just the two of us, building castles in the sky
Ab7 Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
Just the two of us, you and I
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm Eb7 Ab7 Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
I see the crystal raindrops fall
Eb7 Ab7 Dbmaj7
And the beauty of it all
C7 Fm
Is when the sun comes shining through
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
To make those rainbows in my mind
Eb7 Ab7 Dbmaj7
When I think of you sometime
C7 Fm
And I want to spend some time with you
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm Em7 Eb7
Just the two of us, we can make it if we try
Ab7 Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
Just the two of us, just the two of us
Dbmaj7 C7 Fm Em7 Eb7
Just the two of us, building castles in the sky
Ab7 Dbmaj7 C7 Fm
Just the two of us, you and I
End of song Play again?
Grover Washington Jr. - Just the Two of Us (Bill Withers) Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Grover Washington Jr. – Just the Two of Us (Bill Withers): key and chord analysis
The song opens on Dbmaj7 and ends on Fm. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (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 comes to rest on Fm, Fm is heard 28 times against 14 for Ab and the major V chord points straight at Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab 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 Ab or to Fm; 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| V7/IV | Ab7 | Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Dbsecondary dominant | Ab · C · Eb · Gb | 14× |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | — |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | — |
| V7/vi | C7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G · Bb | 28× |
| IVmaj7 | Dbmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab · C | 28× |
| V7 | Eb7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · G · Bb · Db | 14× |
| bvi7 | Em7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B · D | 6× |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | 28× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | 28× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| V7/VI | Ab7 | Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Dbsecondary dominant | Ab · C · Eb · Gb | 14× |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | — |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | — |
| V7 | C7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G · Bb | 28× |
| VImaj7 | Dbmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab · C | 28× |
| VII7 | Eb7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · G · Bb · Db | 14× |
| #vii7 | Em7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B · D | 6× |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 6 different chords appear 118 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Fm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Ab, the same C7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Fm. Ab7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- C7 Fm AbV7/vi → visecondary resolution FmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×28
- Eb7 Ab7 AbV7 → V7/IVauthentic cadence FmVII7 → V7/VI ×14
- Ab7 Dbmaj7 AbV7/IV → IVmaj7secondary resolution FmV7/VI → VImaj7 ×14
The move to watch is C7 → Fm, heard 28 times. From the Fm side it is V7 → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the Ab side it reads V7/vi → vi (secondary resolution: C7 resolves a fourth up to Fm). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over Dbmaj7, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C7, land on C, E, G — 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.
- When C7 comes, swap the scale's Eb 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 Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
- 4 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening Dbmaj7 lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Dbmaj7, C7, Fm, Eb7 carry the song: IVmaj7–V7/vi–vi–V7 relative to Ab, VImaj7–V7–i–VII7 relative to Fm. C7 is the interesting twist: in Ab it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Fm it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on C7 → Fm (V7/vi → vi in Ab, V7 → i in Fm): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. The final chord is Fm; the ear comes to rest in Fm.
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.
Grover Washington Jr. - Just the Two of Us (Bill Withers) 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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