Major view
C major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords Am, F, E, Dm, G, C Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
F Dm Am Am
F Dm
I wish I found some better sounds no one's ever heard
Am
I wish I had a better voice and sang some better words
F Dm
I wish I found some chords in an order that is new
Am
I wish I didn't have to rhyme every time I sang
F Dm
I was told when I get older all my fears would shrink
Am
But now I'm insecure, and I care what people think
F Dm Am
My name's Blurryface, and I care what you think
F Dm Am
My name's Blurryface, and I care what you think
F E Am E
Wish we could turn back time to the good old days
Am G C E
When our mommas sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out
Am G C E
Wish we could turn back time to the good old days
Am G C E F Dm Am
When our mommas sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out
Am F Dm Am
We're stressed out
F Dm
Sometimes a certain smell will take me back to when I was young
Am
How come I'm never able to identify where it's coming from
F Dm
I'd make a candle out of it, if I ever found it
Am
Try to sell it, never sell out of it, I'd probably only ever sell one
F Dm
I'd give it to my brother because we have the same nose
Am
Same clothes, home grown, the stones thrown from the creek we used to roam
F Dm
But it would remind of when nothing really mattered
Am
Out of student loans and tree house homes, we all would take the latter
F Dm Am
My name's Blurryface, and I care what you think
F Dm Am
My name's Blurryface, and I care what you think
F E Am E
Wish we could turn back time to the good old days
Am G C E
When our mommas sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out
Am G C E
Wish we could turn back time to the good old days
Am G C E
When our mommas sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out
Am G
We used to play pretend, give each other different names
C E
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away
Am G
Used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face saying
C E
"Wake up you need to make money"
Am G
We used to play pretend, give each other different names
C E
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away
Am G
Used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face saying
C E
"Wake up you need to make money"
F E Am E
Wish we could turn back time to the good old days
Am G C E
When our mommas sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out
Am G C E
Wish we could turn back time to the good old days
Am G C E
When our mommas sang us to sleep, but now we're stressed out
F Dm
We used to play pretend, used to play pretend, money
Am
We used to play pretend, wake up, you need the money
F Dm
We used to play pretend, used to play pretend, money
Am
We used to play pretend, wake up, you need the money
F Dm
We used to play pretend, give each other different names
Am
We would build a rocket ship and then we'd fly it far away
F Dm
Used to dream of outer space but now they're laughing at our face saying
Am
"Wake up you need to make money"
End of song Play again?
Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Twenty One Pilots – Stressed Out: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F and ends on Am. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = G# (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 A minor side because it comes to rest on Am, Am is heard 36 times against 13 for C and the major V chord points straight at Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C 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 C or to Am; 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 | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 13× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 18× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | — |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | 19× |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 21× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 13× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 36× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 36× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 13× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 18× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | — |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | 19× |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 21× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 13× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 6 different chords appear 120 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am.
Chord movement
- Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×18
- E Am CV/vi → vi AmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×16
- G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×13
The move to watch is Dm → Am, heard 18 times. From the Am side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic); from the C side it reads ii → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When E comes, swap the scale's G for G#: 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 C major shapes
- No capo — open C shapes
- Capo 3 + A shapes
- Capo 5 + G shapes
With A minor shapes
- No capo — open Am shapes
- Capo 5 + Em shapes
- Capo 7 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
Starting on F, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Am, F, E, Dm; read them as vi–IV–V/vi–ii in C or i–VI–V–iv in Am. E is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Dm → Am (ii → vi in C, iv → i in Am): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. The final chord is Am; the ear comes to rest in Am.
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.
Twenty One Pilots - Stressed Out 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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