Major view
E major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = D# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = A (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Selena Gomez - How Long - Chord
Key E major – C# minor Chords B, C#m, A, G#, F#m, G#m Easy key C (capo 4)
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Key: E | Dbm | C#m
Capo: 0
C#m B A B
C#m B A G#
C#m B
I'll admit, I was wrong
A B
What else can I say, girl
C#m B A G#
Can't you play my head and not my heart
C#m B A
I was drunk, I was gone
B
That don't make it right, I
C#m B A G#
Promise there were no feelings involved, mmm
F#m G#m F#m
She said, "Boy, tell me honestly
G#m C#m
Was it real or just for show?", yeah
F#m G#m A
She said, "Save your apologies
G#
Baby, I just gotta know"
C#m B A B
How long has this been goin' on
C#m B
You been creepin' 'round on me
A G#
While you callin' me "baby"
C#m B A B
How long has this been goin' on
C#m B
You been actin' so shady
A G#
I've been feelin' it lately, baby
C#m B A B
Ooo oh (yeah) ooo oh
C#m B A G#
Oooh oh oh oh
C#m B
I'll admit, it's my fault
A
But you gotta believe me
C#m B A G#
When I say it only happened once, mmm
C#m B A B
I tried, and I tried, but you'll never see that
C#m B A G#
You're the only one I wanna love, oh, yeah
F#m G#m F#m
She said, "Boy, tell me honestly
G#m C#m
Was it real or just for show?", yeah
F#m G#m A
She said, "Save your apologies
G#
Baby, I just gotta know"
C#m B A B
How long has this been goin' on
C#m B
You been creepin' 'round on me
A G#
While you callin' me "baby"
C#m B A B
How long has this been goin' on
C#m B
You been actin' so shady
A G#
I've been feelin' it lately, baby
C#m B A B
Ooo oh (yeah) ooo oh
C#m B A G#
Oooh oh oh oh
End of song Play again?
Selena Gomez - How Long Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Selena Gomez – How Long: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C#m and ends on G#. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
C# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = A (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = B (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = B# (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 C# minor side because it opens on C#m, C#m is heard 24 times while E never appears and the major V chord points straight at C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from E 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 E or to C#m; 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 | E | Tonic — home | E · G# · B | — |
| ii | F#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C# | 6× |
| iii | G#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | G# · B · D# | 6× |
| V/vi | G# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to C#msecondary dominant | G# · B# · D# | 13× |
| IV | A | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C# · E | 24× |
| V | B | Dominant — strongest pull home | B · D# · F# | 32× |
| vi | C#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | C# · E · G# | 24× |
| vii° | D#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | D# · F# · A | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | C#m | Tonic — home | C# · E · G# | 24× |
| ii° | D#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D# · F# · A | — |
| III | E | Relative major — the bright side | E · G# · B | — |
| iv | F#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | F# · A · C# | 6× |
| v | G#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | G# · B · D# | 6× |
| V | G# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | G# · B# · D# | 13× |
| VI | A | Submediant — warm colour | A · C# · E | 24× |
| VII | B | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | B · D# · F# | 32× |
Analysis
The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 6 different chords appear 105 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of C#m brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from E, the same G# is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for C#m.
Chord movement
- G# C#m EV/vi → vi C#mV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×10
- B C#m EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×10
- A B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×10
- G#m C#m Eiii → vi C#mv → inatural-minor cadence ×2
- A C#m EIV → vi C#mVI → iVI → i ×1
The move to watch is G# → C#m, heard 10 times. From the C#m side it is V → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the E side it reads V/vi → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- E major pentatonic and C# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (E – F# – G# – B – C#): start from E for a brighter phrase, from C# for a bluesier one.
- Over B, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C#m, land on C#, E, G# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When G# comes, swap the scale's B for B#: 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 E major shapes
- No capo — open E shapes
- Capo 2 + D shapes
- Capo 4 + C shapes
With C# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch
- 3 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
Starting on C#m, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is B, C#m, A, G# — V–vi–IV–V/vi from the E side, VII–i–VI–V from the C#m side. G# is the interesting twist: in E it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in C#m it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on G# → C#m (V/vi → vi in E, V → i in C#m): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. The final chord is G#; the ear comes to rest in E.
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.
Selena Gomez - How Long 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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