Major view
Bb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Eb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Beirut - Rhineland (Heartland) - Chord
Key Bb major – G minor Chords Bb, F, Dm, Gm Easy key C
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Key: Bb | Gm
Capo: 0
Gm Gm F F Bb Bb Dm Dm
Gm F
Life, life is all right on the Rhine
Bb Dm
No, but I know, but I know an island for your heart, la la la la la
Gm F
And I, I would have nowhere to go
Bb Dm
No, but there's nowhere to go, I was at home
Gm F
Life, life is all right on the Rhine
Bb Dm
No, but I know, but I know an island for your heart, la la la la la
Gm Gm F F Bb Bb Dm Dm
Bb F
And life, life is all right on the Rhine
Bb Dm
No, but I know, but I know an island for your heart
Bb F
Life, life is all right on the Rhine
Bb Dm
No, but I know, but I know an island for your heart, la la la la la
Bb F
And I, I would have nowhere to go
Bb Dm
No, but there's nowhere to go, I was at home
Gm akorunda C-Bb sesleri arasında aç kapa
ve
F akorunda A-G sesleri arasında aç kapa yapabilirsiniz
End of song Play again?
Beirut - Rhineland (Heartland) Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Beirut – Rhineland (Heartland): key and chord analysis
The song opens on Gm and ends on Dm. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: we can't honestly pick a side here — the song moves freely between Bb major and G minor because it opens on Gm and Bb is heard 13 times against 7 for Gm. Try reading the chords both ways and see which feels more like home to you.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Bb or to Gm; 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 | Bb | Tonic — home | Bb · D · F | 13× |
| ii | Cm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · G | — |
| iii | Dm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D · F · A | 10× |
| V/vi | D | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | — |
| IV | Eb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| V | F | Dominant — strongest pull home | F · A · C | 10× |
| vi | Gm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | G · Bb · D | 7× |
| vii° | Adim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A · C · Eb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gm | Tonic — home | G · Bb · D | 7× |
| ii° | Adim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · Eb | — |
| III | Bb | Relative major — the bright side | Bb · D · F | 13× |
| iv | Cm | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · Eb · G | — |
| v | Dm | Minor dominant — soft pull | D · F · A | 10× |
| V | D | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | D · F# · A | — |
| VI | Eb | Submediant — warm colour | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| VII | F | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F · A · C | 10× |
Analysis
The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 4 different chords appear 40 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
- F Bb BbV → Iauthentic cadence GmVII → III ×8
- Dm Gm Bbiii → vi Gmv → inatural-minor cadence ×4
The move to watch is F → Bb, heard 8 times. From the Bb side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Gm side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
- Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — 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 Dm, land on D, F, A — 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 Bb major shapes
- Capo 1 + A shapes
- Capo 3 + G shapes
- Capo 6 + E shapes
With G minor shapes
- Capo 3 + Em shapes
- Capo 5 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones up
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on Gm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Bb, F, Dm, Gm; read them as I–V–iii–vi in Bb or III–VII–v–i in Gm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on F → Bb (V → I in Bb, VII → III in Gm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is Dm; the ear comes to rest in Bb.
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.
Beirut - Rhineland (Heartland) 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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