Sam Smith - Not In That Way - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords Bm, D, G, Gbm, A, F#m Easy key C (capo 2)

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Capo 0

D  F#m  Bm  G

    D  Gbm       Bm       G
And I hate to say I love you 
     D  Gbm      Bm    G
When it's so hard for me 
   D  Gbm         Bm     G
And I hate to say I want you 
     D         Gbm
When you make it so clear 
         Bm   G
You don't want me 

       Bm
I'd never ask you cause deep down 
    A               D    G
I'm certain I know what you'd say 
         Bm
You'd say I'm sorry believe me 
    A               D   A
I love you but not in that way 

    D  Gbm        Bm     G
And I hate to say I need you 
       D
I'm so reliant 
       Gbm
I'm so dependent 
       Bm     G
I'm such a fool 

G     Bm     A
When you're not there 
D       A         G
I find myself singing the blues 
        Bm
Can't bear 
            A 
Can't face the truth 

       D  Gbm       Bm      G
You will never know that feeling 
       D  Gbm            Bm    G
You will never see through these eyes 

       Bm
I'd never ask you 
            A               D    G
Cause deep down I'm certain I know what you'd say 
         Bm
You'd say I'm sorry 

Believe me 
    A
I love you  
           Bm    Gbm
But not in that way 

          G
You'd say I'm sorry 

Believe me 
   A
I love you 
            D
But not in that way

End of song Play again?

Sam Smith - Not In That Way Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Sam Smith – Not In That Way: key and chord analysis

The song opens on D and ends on D. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

D major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

B minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = A (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because it both starts and finishes on D and Bm is heard 16 times against 14 for D. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from B minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; 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.

Seen from D major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	D	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	14×
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	—
iii	Gbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Gb · A · Db	9×
iii	F#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	F# · A · C#	1×
V/vi	F#	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	F# · A# · C#	—
IV	G	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	14×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	9×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	16×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bm	Tonic — home	B · D · F#	16×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	14×
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	—
v	Gbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Gb · A · Db	9×
v	F#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	F# · A · C#	1×
V	F#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	F# · A# · C#	—
VI	G	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	14×
VII	A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	9×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 6 different chords appear 63 times in total; 6 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

Gbm Bm Diii → vi Bmv → inatural-minor cadence ×8
A D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×7
G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×6
G Bm DIV → vi BmVI → iVI → i ×6
A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×1
F#m Bm Diii → vi Bmv → inatural-minor cadence ×1

The move to watch is Gbm → Bm, heard 8 times. From the D side it reads iii → vi; from the Bm side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over G, land on G, B, D — 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 D major shapes

No capo — open D shapes
Capo 2 + C shapes
Capo 5 + A shapes

With B minor shapes

Capo 2 + Am shapes
Capo 7 + Em shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on D, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Bm, D, G, Gbm — vi–I–IV–iii from the D side, i–III–VI–v from the Bm side. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Gbm → Bm (iii → vi in D, v → i in Bm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. It closes on D, letting the D 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.