Major view
B major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = E (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Shawn Mendes - A Little Too Much - Chord
Key B major – G# minor Chords G, Cadd9, Em7, Dsus4 Difficulty already in its easiest key
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Key: B | Abm | G#m
Capo: 0
Em7 G Cadd9
Em7 G Cadd9
She would not show that she was afraid
Em7 G Cadd9
But being and feeling alone was too much to face
Em7 G Cadd9
Though everyone said that she was so strong
Em7 G Cadd9
What they didn't know was that she could barely carry on
Em7 G Cadd9
But she knew that she would be okay
Em7 G Cadd9
So she didn't let it get in her way
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
Sometimes it all gets a little too much
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
And you don't have to be afraid because we're all the same
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much
Em7 G Cadd9
She would always tell herself she could do this
Em7 G Cadd9
She would use no help it would be just fine
Em7 G Cadd9
But when it got hard she would lose her focus
Em7 G Cadd9
So take my hand and it will be alright
Em7 G Cadd9
And she knew that she would be okay
Em7 G Cadd9
So she didn't let it get in her way
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
Sometimes it all gets a little too much
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
And you don't have to be afraid because we're all the same
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much, yeah
G Cadd9
A little too much
G Cadd9
I said, a little too much
Oh Oh
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
Sometimes it all gets a little too much
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
And you don't have to be afraid because we're all the same
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much, yeah
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
Sometimes it all gets a little too much
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
But you gotta realize that soon the fog will clear up
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
And you don't have to be afraid because we're all the same
G Dsus4 Em7 Cadd9
And we know that sometimes it all gets a little too much
End of song Play again?
Shawn Mendes - A Little Too Much Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Shawn Mendes – A Little Too Much: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Em7 and ends on Cadd9. Its chords belong to both B major and G#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = E (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 B major and G# minor. 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 B or to G#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 | B | Tonic — home | B · D# · F# | — |
| bII | Cadd9 | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | C · E · G · D | 31× |
| ii | C#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G# | — |
| bIIIsus4 | Dsus4 | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | D · G · A | 16× |
| iii | D#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D# · F# · A# | — |
| III | D# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D# · G · A# | — |
| IV | E | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G# · B | — |
| iv7 | Em7 | Minor iv — borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | E · G · B · D | 29× |
| V | F# | Dominant — strongest pull home | F# · A# · C# | — |
| bVI | G | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | G · B · D | 31× |
| vi | G#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | G# · B · D# | — |
| vii° | A#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A# · C# · E | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | G#m | Tonic — home | G# · B · D# | — |
| ii° | A#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A# · C# · E | — |
| III | B | Relative major — the bright side | B · D# · F# | — |
| #III | Cadd9 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C · E · G · D | 31× |
| iv | C#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | C# · E · G# | — |
| #IVsus4 | Dsus4 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | D · G · A | 16× |
| v | D#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | D# · F# · A# | — |
| V | D# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | D# · G · A# | — |
| VI | E | Submediant — warm colour | E · G# · B | — |
| vi7 | Em7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | E · G · B · D | 29× |
| VII | F# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F# · A# · C# | — |
| #VII | G | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | G · B · D | 31× |
Analysis
The key pair is B major and its relative G# minor (5 sharps). 4 different chords appear 107 times in total; 0 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. G, Cadd9, Em7, Dsus4 are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
There's no textbook cadence here; the chords circle around each other in a loop, so the song feels more like a groove than a series of arrivals.
Improvisation tips
- B major pentatonic and G# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (B – C# – D# – F# – G#): start from B for a brighter phrase, from G# for a bluesier one.
- Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Cadd9, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Em7, land on E, G, B — 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 B major shapes
- Capo 2 + A shapes
- Capo 4 + G shapes
- Capo 7 + E shapes
With G# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Em shapes
- Capo 6 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Em7; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is G, Cadd9, Em7, Dsus4 — bVI–bII–iv7–bIIIsus4 from the B side, #VII–#III–vi7–#IVsus4 from the G#m side. G briefly darkens the picture: borrowed from the parallel minor. Ending on Cadd9, the song seals B as home.
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.
Shawn Mendes - A Little Too Much 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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