Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Sabrina Carpenter - Emails I Can't Send - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords D, Bm, A, Gb7, G, E7, Gm Easy key D (capo 7)
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
D
It's times like these
Gb7
Wish I had a time machine, so
Bm D
I could see what you did October 13th
G D
At 10:15, were you really asleep
E7 A
Were you lying to me and the family
D Gb7
There's no "us" in us when I'm lacking trust
Bm
You wanna discuss, ugh
D
You disgust me
G
Don't make me cuss you out
D
Why'd you let me down
E7 A
Don't say sorry now
D Gb7
And thanks to you I, I can't love right
Bm D
I get nice guys and villainize them
G D
Read their texts like they're having sex right now
E7 A
Scared I'll find out that it's true
D Gb7
And if I do, then I blame you for
Bm A
Every worst that I assume
D Gb7
When I'm forty five, someone calls me their wife
Bm D
And he fucks our lives in one selfish night
G D
Don't think I'll find forgiveness as fast as mom did
E7 A
And, God, I love you, but you're such a dipshit
Gm
Please, fucking fix this
D A Bm
'Cause you were all I looked up to
Gm D
Now I can't even look at you
End of song Play again?
Sabrina Carpenter - Emails I Can't Send Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Sabrina Carpenter – Emails I Can't Send: key and chord analysis
The song opens on D and ends on D. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because A is heard 6 times while F#m never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#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 | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 6× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | 6× |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| V/vi | C# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 15× |
| V7 | E7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B · D | 4× |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | — |
| V7/ii | Gb7 | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | Gb · Bb · Db · Fb | 5× |
| bVII | G | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | G · B · D | 4× |
| bvii | Gm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · Bb · D | 2× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | — |
| V7/iv | Gb7 | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | Gb · Bb · Db · Fb | 5× |
| bII | G | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | G · B · D | 4× |
| bii | Gm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · Bb · D | 2× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 6× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | 6× |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | — |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | — |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 15× |
| VII7 | E7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B · D | 4× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 7 different chords appear 42 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Gb7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. G is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- Gb7 Bm AV7/ii → iisecondary resolution F#mV7/iv → iv ×5
- E7 A AV7 → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII7 → III ×4
- D E7 AIV → V7IV → V F#mVI → VII7VI → VII ×4
- D A AIV → Iplagal cadence F#mVI → III ×1
The move to watch is Gb7 → Bm, heard 5 times. From the A side it reads V7/ii → ii (secondary resolution: Gb7 resolves a fourth up to Bm); from the F#m side it is V7/iv → iv. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — 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.
- On G, follow the chord's notes (G · B · D) 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 A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is D; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are D, Bm, A, Gb7; read them as IV–ii–I–V7/ii in A or VI–iv–III–V7/iv in F#m. Gb7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Bm. Keep an ear on Gb7 → Bm (V7/ii → ii in A, V7/iv → iv in F#m): secondary resolution — Gb7 resolves a fourth up to Bm. It closes on D, letting the A side have the last word.
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.
Sabrina Carpenter - Emails I Can't Send 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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