Major view
Eb major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = D (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Ab (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Miley Cyrus - Don't Dream Its Over - Chord
Key Eb major – C minor Chords Ab, Cm, Eb, Bb, G Easy key G
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Key: Eb | Cm
Capo: 0
Ab Bb Cm Eb G
Eb Cm
There is freedom within
Ab
There is freedom without
G
Try to catch a deluge in a paper cup
Eb Cm
There's a battle ahead
Ab
Many battles are lost
Cm
But you'll never see the end of the road
G
While you're traveling with me
Ab Bb
Hey now, hey now
Eb Cm
Don't dream it's over
Ab Bb
Hey now, hey now
Eb Cm
When the world comes in
Ab Bb
They come, they come
Eb Cm
To build a wall between us
Ab Bb
We know they won't win
Eb Cm
Now I'm towing my car
Ab
There's a hole in the roof
G
My possessions are causing me suspicion but there's no proof
Eb Cm
In the paper today
Ab
Tales of war and of waste
G
But you turn right over to the T.V. page
Ab Bb
Hey now, hey now
Eb Cm
Don't dream it's over
Ab Bb
Hey now, hey now
Eb Cm
When the world comes in
Ab Bb
They come, they come
Eb Cm
To build a wall between us
Ab Bb
We know they won't win
Eb Cm Ab G
Eb Cm
Now I'm walking ahead
Ab
To the beat of a drum
G
And I'm counting the steps to the door of your heart
Eb Cm
Only shadows ahead
Ab
Barely clearing the roof
G
Get to know the feeling of liberation and relief
Ab Bb
Hey now, hey now
Eb Cm
Don't dream it's over
Ab Bb
Hey now, hey now
Eb Cm
When the world comes in
Ab Bb
They come, they come
Eb Cm
To build a wall between us
Ab Bb
We know they won't win
Ab Bb Eb Cm
End of song Play again?
Miley Cyrus - Don't Dream Its Over Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Miley Cyrus – Don't Dream Its Over: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Ab and ends on Cm. Its chords belong to both Eb major and Cm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
C minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Ab (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Bb (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 comes to rest on Cm, Cm is heard 19 times against 18 for Eb and the major V chord points straight at Cm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Eb 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 Eb or to Cm; 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 | Eb | Tonic — home | Eb · G · Bb | 18× |
| ii | Fm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F · Ab · C | — |
| iii | Gm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | G · Bb · D | — |
| V/vi | G | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Cmsecondary dominant | G · B · D | 8× |
| IV | Ab | Subdominant — moves away from home | Ab · C · Eb | 21× |
| V | Bb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Bb · D · F | 14× |
| vi | Cm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | C · Eb · G | 19× |
| vii° | Ddim | Leading-tone chord — tension | D · F · Ab | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Cm | Tonic — home | C · Eb · G | 19× |
| ii° | Ddim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · Ab | — |
| III | Eb | Relative major — the bright side | Eb · G · Bb | 18× |
| iv | Fm | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · Ab · C | — |
| v | Gm | Minor dominant — soft pull | G · Bb · D | — |
| V | G | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | G · B · D | 8× |
| VI | Ab | Submediant — warm colour | Ab · C · Eb | 21× |
| VII | Bb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Bb · D · F | 14× |
Analysis
The key pair is Eb major and its relative C minor (3 flats). 5 different chords appear 80 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Cm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Eb, the same G is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Cm.
Chord movement
- Ab Bb EbIV → VIV → V CmVI → VIIVI → VII ×14
- Bb Eb EbV → Iauthentic cadence CmVII → III ×12
- Bb Cm EbV → videceptive cadence CmVII → iAeolian arrival ×1
- Ab Cm EbIV → vi CmVI → iVI → i ×1
The move to watch is Ab → Bb, heard 14 times. From the Cm side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic); from the Eb side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Eb major pentatonic and C minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Eb – F – G – Bb – C): start from Eb for a brighter phrase, from C for a bluesier one.
- Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Cm, land on C, Eb, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Eb, land on Eb, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When G comes, swap the scale's Bb 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 Eb major shapes
- Capo 1 + D shapes
- Capo 3 + C shapes
- Capo 6 + A shapes
With C minor shapes
- Capo 3 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 4 semitones up
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The opening Ab lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Ab, Cm, Eb, Bb; read them as IV–vi–I–V in Eb or VI–i–III–VII in Cm. G is the interesting twist: in Eb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Cm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Ab → Bb (IV → V in Eb, VI → VII in Cm): VI → VII — the rising step that heads for the tonic. The final chord is Cm; the ear comes to rest in Cm.
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.
Miley Cyrus - Don't Dream Its Over 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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