Adele - All I Ask - Chord

Key E major – C# minor Chords E, B, Gbm, A/B, Abm, A, Dbm, Db7 … Easy key G

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Capo 0

E                     Abm
I will leave my heart at the door
        A                  B
I won't say a word, they've all been said before, you know
   E                 Abm
So why don't we just play pretend
               A                                B                Ab
Like we're not scared of what is coming next or scared of having nothing left

      Dbm
Look, don't get me wrong
  E/B              Gbm
I know there is no tomorrow
A/B
All I ask is

E             Db7             Gbm
If this is my last night with you
A/B                         B     E
Hold me like I'm more than just a friend
          Db7          Gbm
Give me a memory I can use
A/B                 B        E       B/D#   Dbm
Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do
                    Gbm
It matters how this ends
       A/B                  E    Abm  A  B
'Cause what if I never love again

E                 Abm
I don't need your honesty
             A                    B
It's already in your eyes and I'm sure my eyes, they speak for me
E               Abm
No one knows me like you do
                     A
And since you're the only one that matters
        B            Ab Abm7
Tell me who do I run to

      Dbm
Look, don't get me wrong
  E/B              Gbm
I know there is no tomorrow
A/B
All I ask is

E             Db7             Gbm
If this is my last night with you
A/B                        B      E
Hold me like I'm more than just a friend
          Db7          Gbm
Give me a memory I can use
A/B                 B        E       B/D#   Dbm
Take me by the hand while we do what lovers do
                    Gbm
It matters how this ends
       A/B                  E/D
'Cause what if I never love again

                A/C#   Ab Gbm
Let this be our lesson in love
                A/B   B           Abm
Let this be the way   we remember us
                 Ab7      Dbm
I don't wanna be cruel or vicious
            Gbm
And I ain't asking for forgiveness
A/B    Bb/C
All I  ask  is

F             D7              Gm
If this is my last night with you
Bb/C             C                F
Hold me like I'm more than just a friend
          D7           Gm
Give me a memory I can use
Bb/C           C             F       C/E    Dm
Take me by the hand while we do what lovers  do
                    Gm7
It matters how this ends
Bb/C                 F
What if I never love again

End of song Play again?

Adele - All I Ask Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Adele – All I Ask: key and chord analysis

The song opens on E and ends on F. Its chords belong to both E major and C#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

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)

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 E major side because it opens on E, E is heard 14 times against 5 for C#m and the major V chord points straight at C#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from C# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

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.

Seen from E major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	E	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	11×
I	E/B	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	2×
I	E/D	Tonic — home	E · G# · B	1×
bII	F	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	F · A · C	4×
ii	Gbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Gb · A · Db	10×
biii	Gm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D	2×
biii7	Gm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D · F	1×
iii	Abm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Ab · Cb · Eb	6×
iii7	Abm7	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	1×
V/vi	Ab	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb	3×
V7/vi	Ab7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dbmsecondary dominant	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	1×
IV	A/B	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	10×
IV	A	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	5×
IV	A/C#	Subdominant — moves away from home	A · C# · E	1×
#IV	Bb/C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · D · F	4×
V	B	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	10×
V	B/D#	Dominant — strongest pull home	B · D# · F#	2×
bVI	C	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	C · E · G	2×
bVI	C/E	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	C · E · G	1×
vi	Dbm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	Db · Fb · Ab	5×
V7/ii	Db7	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab · Cb	4×
bVII7	D7	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	D · F# · A · C	2×
bvii	Dm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A	1×
vii°	D#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	D# · F# · A	—

Seen from C# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dbm	Tonic — home	Db · Fb · Ab	5×
V7/iv	Db7	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab · Cb	4×
bII7	D7	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	D · F# · A · C	2×
bii	Dm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F · A	1×
ii°	D#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D# · F# · A	—
III	E	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	11×
III	E/B	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	2×
III	E/D	Relative major — the bright side	E · G# · B	1×
#III	F	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F · A · C	4×
iv	Gbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Gb · A · Db	10×
#iv	Gm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D	2×
#iv7	Gm7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D · F	1×
v	Abm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Ab · Cb · Eb	6×
v7	Abm7	Minor dominant — soft pull	Ab · Cb · Eb · Gb	1×
V	Ab	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Ab · C · Eb	3×
V7	Ab7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Ab · C · Eb · Gb	1×
VI	A/B	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	10×
VI	A	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	5×
VI	A/C#	Submediant — warm colour	A · C# · E	1×
#VI	Bb/C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Bb · D · F	4×
VII	B	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	10×
VII	B/D#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	B · D# · F#	2×
#VII	C	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	2×
#VII	C/E	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · E · G	1×

Analysis

The key pair is E major and its relative C# minor (4 sharps). 23 different chords appear 89 times in total; 12 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 Ab / Ab7 is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for C#m. Db7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. F, D7, C, C/E are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

B E EV → Iauthentic cadence C#mVII → III ×7
A B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×5
A/B B EIV → VIV → V C#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×5
Db7 Gbm EV7/ii → iisecondary resolution C#mV7/iv → iv ×4
A/B E EIV → Iplagal cadence C#mVI → III ×3
B/D# Dbm EV → videceptive cadence C#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×2

The move to watch is B → E, heard 7 times. From the E side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the C#m side it is VII → III. 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 E, land on E, G#, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over B, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gbm, land on Gb, A, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When Ab comes, swap the scale's B for B#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On F, follow the chord's notes (F · A · C) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

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

3 semitones up
4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening E lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is E, B, Gbm, A/B — I–V–ii–IV from the E side, III–VII–iv–VI from the C#m side. Db7 is the interesting twist: in E it is a chromatic chord (V7/ii), while in C#m it becomes the dominant (V7/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on B → E (V → I in E, VII → III in C#m): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. The final chord is F; 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.