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)
Sabrina Carpenter - Can't blame a girl for trying - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords F, C, Am, Dm, Cmaj7, C6, C7, Fm … Easy key G (capo 5)
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
C Dm Am F
C Dm
Here I am again, the same old situation
Am F
Why does the guy think have to be so complicated
C Dm Am
I should've played it cool, instead I've made a fool
F
Oh, the things I do
C Cmaj7
'Cause I'm young and I'm dumb
C6 C7
I do stupid things when it comes to love
F Fm
And even if I always end up crying
C Dm Am
Well, you can't blame a girl for trying ohh ohh ohh ohh
F C Dm Am F
No, you can't blame a girl for trying
C Dm
I should've shut my mouth, I could've kept it quiet
Am F
I might have freaked him out 'cause I was so excited
C Dm
But I just couldn't wait, I took a leap of faith
Am F
Oh, the things I say
C Cmaj7
'Cause I'm young and I'm dumb
C6 C7
I do stupid things when it comes to love
F Fm
And even if I always end up crying
C Dm Am
Well, you can't blame a girl for trying ohh ohh ohh ohh
F C Dm Am F
No, you can't blame a girl for trying
Am Em F
And I think sometimes I tend to be my own worst enemy
Am Em D
And maybe someday I'm gonna catch a shooting star falling out of the blue
G
Do what I do
C Dm
And just as I'm giving up, my heart is palpitating
Am F
Here comes another one and I'm so intoxicated
C Dm
Being where I've been I know that in the end
Am F
I'll do it all again
C Cmaj7
'Cause I'm young and I'm dumb
C6 C7
I do stupid things when it comes to love
F Dm
And even if I always end up crying
F G
Well, love will find me, there ain't no denying
C Dm Am
That you can't blame a girl for trying
F C Dm Am F C
No, you can't blame a girl for trying
End of song Play again?
Sabrina Carpenter - Can't blame a girl for trying Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Sabrina Carpenter – Can't blame a girl for trying: key and chord analysis
The song opens on C and ends on C. 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)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it both starts and finishes on C and C is heard 26 times against 15 for Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
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 | 17× |
| Imaj7 | Cmaj7 | Tonic — home | C · E · G · B | 3× |
| I6 | C6 | Tonic — home | C · E · G · A | 3× |
| V7/IV | C7 | Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Fsecondary dominant | C · E · G · Bb | 3× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 14× |
| V/V | D | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | 1× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | 2× |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 18× |
| iv | Fm | Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | F · Ab · C | 2× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 2× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 15× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 15× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 17× |
| IIImaj7 | Cmaj7 | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G · B | 3× |
| III6 | C6 | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G · A | 3× |
| V7/VI | C7 | Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Fsecondary dominant | C · E · G · Bb | 3× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 14× |
| IV | D | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | D · F# · A | 1× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | 2× |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | — |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 18× |
| vi | Fm | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · Ab · C | 2× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 2× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 11 different chords appear 80 times in total; 8 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. C7, D act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Fm is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×13
- F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×12
- C7 F CV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution AmV7/VI → VI ×3
- G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×2
- Fm C Civ → Iminor plagal Amvi → III ×2
- F Am CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×2
The move to watch is Dm → Am, heard 13 times. From the C side it reads ii → vi; from the Am side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic). 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 F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On Fm, follow the chord's notes (F · Ab · 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 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
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on C, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is F, C, Am, Dm — IV–I–vi–ii from the C side, VI–III–i–iv from the Am side. C7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to F. Keep an ear on Dm → Am (ii → vi in C, iv → i in Am): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. It closes on C, letting the C 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 - Can't blame a girl for trying 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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