Major view
Ab major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Sam Smith - Latch - Chord
Key Ab major – F minor Chords Ab, Fm, Db Easy key G (capo 1)
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Key: Ab | Fm
Capo: 0
Ab Fm Db Ab
You lift my heart up when the rest of me is down
Ab Fm Db Ab
You, you enchant me even when you're not around
Ab Fm Db Ab
If there are boundaries, I will try to knock them down
Ab Fm Db Ab
I'm latching on, babe, now I know what I have found
Ab Fm
I feel we're close enough
Db Ab
I wanna lock in your love
Ab Fm
I think we're close enough
Db Ab
Could I lock in your love, baby
Ab Fm
Now I got you in my space
Db Ab
I won't let go of you
Ab Fm
Got you shackled in my embrace
Db Ab
I'm latching on to you
Ab Fm
Now I got you in my space
Db Ab
I won't let go of you
Ab Fm
Got you shackled in my embrace
Db Ab
I'm latching on to you
Ab Fm Db Ab
I'm so enraptured, got me wrapped up in your touch
Ab Fm Db Ab
Feel so enamored, hold me tight within your clutch
Ab Fm Db Ab
How do you do it, you got me losing every breath
Ab Fm Db Ab
What did you give me to make my heart beat out my chest
Ab Fm
I feel we're close enough
Db Ab
I wanna lock in your love
Ab Fm
I think we're close enough
Db Ab
Could I lock in your love, baby
Ab Fm
I feel we're close enough
Db Ab
I wanna lock in your love
Ab Fm
I think we're close enough
Db Ab
Could I lock in your love, baby
Ab Fm
Now I got you in my space
Db Ab
I won't let go of you
Ab Fm
Got you shackled in my embrace
Db Ab
I'm latching on to you
Ab Fm
Now I got you in my space
Db Ab
I won't let go of you
Ab Fm
Got you shackled in my embrace
Db Ab
I'm latching on to you
Ab Fm
Latching on to you
Db Ab
I won't let go of you
Ab Fm
Latching on to you
Db Ab
I won't let go of you
End of song Play again?
Sam Smith - Latch Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Sam Smith – Latch: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Ab and ends on Ab. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Ab major side because it both starts and finishes on Ab and Ab is heard 48 times against 24 for Fm. 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 Ab or to Fm; 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 | Ab | Tonic — home | Ab · C · Eb | 48× |
| ii | Bbm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | Bb · Db · F | — |
| iii | Cm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C · Eb · G | — |
| V/vi | C | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant | C · E · G | — |
| IV | Db | Subdominant — moves away from home | Db · F · Ab | 24× |
| V | Eb | Dominant — strongest pull home | Eb · G · Bb | — |
| vi | Fm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F · Ab · C | 24× |
| vii° | Gdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G · Bb · Db | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Fm | Tonic — home | F · Ab · C | 24× |
| ii° | Gdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · Db | — |
| III | Ab | Relative major — the bright side | Ab · C · Eb | 48× |
| iv | Bbm | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · Db · F | — |
| v | Cm | Minor dominant — soft pull | C · Eb · G | — |
| V | C | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C · E · G | — |
| VI | Db | Submediant — warm colour | Db · F · Ab | 24× |
| VII | Eb | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | Eb · G · Bb | — |
Analysis
The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 3 different chords appear 96 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- Db Ab AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×24
The move to watch is Db → Ab, heard 24 times. From the Ab side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Fm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
- Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
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 Ab major shapes
- Capo 1 + G shapes
- Capo 4 + E shapes
- Capo 6 + D shapes
With F minor shapes
- Capo 1 + Em shapes
- Capo 3 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
- 1 semitone up
The song's harmonic story
The opening Ab lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Ab, Fm, Db — I–vi–IV from the Ab side, III–i–VI from the Fm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Db → Ab (IV → I in Ab, VI → III in Fm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on Ab, the song seals Ab 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.
Sam Smith - Latch 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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