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Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All - Chord

Key A major – F# minor Chords Bm7, Gbm7, D, E7sus, Dbm7, E, A, E7/D … Easy key G (capo 2)

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Capo 0 
E7sus

A               Aaug
I believe the children are our future
A6                   A9        A7
Teach them well and let them lead the way
D                   Daug               D6 Daug
Show them all the beauty they posses inside
D            Dbm7     Gbm7              Bm7
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
E          E7/D         Dbm Gbm7  Bm7             E7sus
Let the children's laughter    remind us how we used to be

A            Aaug
Everybody seaching for a hero
A6             A9           A7
People need someone to look up to
D                 Daug                 D6 Daug
I never found anyone who fulfilled my needs
    D      Dbm7   Gbm7          Bm7      E7sus  D
A lonely place to be, so I learned to depend on me

D           A9/C#    Bm7               E7sus     E7
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadow
D              A9/C#            Bm7            E7sus  E
If I failed, if I succeed, at least I lived as I   believed
D                    A9/C#             Bm7                 E7sus
No matter what they take from me they can't take away my dignity

   Dbm7  Gbm7  Bm7               E  E7/D      Dbm7 Gbm7
Because the grea    test love of all is happening to me
Bm7   E  E7/D  Dbm7  Gbm7   Bm7          E7sus    A A7
I found the grea    test love of all inside of me
      A7      Gbm7     Bm7 Em7
The greatest love of all
    A    A7/G    Gbm7 Bm7 Em7 A    A7/G Gbm7     Bm7
Is easy to  achieve        learning to  love yourself,
               Em7  A7sus    D
it is the greatest love of all

A               Aaug
I believe the children are our future
A6                   A9        A7
Teach them well and let them lead the way
D                   Daug               D6  Daug
Show them all the beauty they posses inside
D            Dbm7     Gbm7              Bm7
Give them a sense of pride to make it easier
E          E7/D    Dbm  Gbm7  Bm7             E7sus  D
Let the children's laughter remind us how we used to be

D           A9/C#    Bm7               E7sus     E7
I decided long ago, never to walk in anyone's shadow
D              A9/C#            Bm7            E7sus  E
If I failed, if I succeed, at least I lived as I   believed
D                    A9/C#             Bm7                 E7sus
No matter what they take from me they can't take away my dignity

 E   E7/D   Dbm7  Gbm7   Bm7            E  E7/D      Dbm7 Gbm7  Bm7
Because the grea    test love of all is happening to me
  E    E7/D  Dbm7 Gbm7   Bm7          E7sus    A A7
I found the grea    test love of all inside of me
      A7      Gbm7     Bm7  Em7
The greatest love of all
   A   A7/G   Gbm7 Bm7 Em7   A A7/G   Gbm7       Bm7
Is easy to  achieve      learning to love yourself,
           Em7  A7sus      D
it is the greatest love of all

     E     E7/D       Dbm7    Gbm7  Bm7    E          E7/D   Dbm7 Gbm7 Bm7
And if by chance that special place  that you've been dreaming of
  E      E7/D    Dbm7  Gbm7   Bm7        E7sus     D A/C# D/B E7 A
Leads you to a lonely  place find your strength in love

End of song Play again?

Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All Tabs

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Harmony analysis

Whitney Houston – Greatest Love Of All: key and chord analysis

The song opens on E7sus and ends on A. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

A major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

F# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

  • b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
  • b7 = E (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it comes to rest on A and A is heard 39 times against 20 for F#m. 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 A or to F#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.

Seen from A major
Degree Chord Role Notes In song
I A Tonic — home A · C# · E 10×
I6 A6 Tonic — home A · C# · E · F# 3×
I A/C# Tonic — home A · C# · E 1×
V7/IV A7 Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Dsecondary dominant A · C# · E · G 7×
V7/IV A9/C# Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Dsecondary dominant A · C# · E · G · B 6×
V7/IV A7/G Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Dsecondary dominant A · C# · E · G 4×
I+ Aaug Chromatic colour chordoutside the key A · C# · E# 3×
V7/IV A9 Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Dsecondary dominant A · C# · E · G · B 3×
V7/IV A7sus Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Dsecondary dominant A · D · E · G 2×
ii7 Bm7 Supertonic — prepares the dominant B · D · F# · A 26×
iii7 Dbm7 Mediant — a tonic-family shade Db · Fb · Ab · Cb 12×
iii Dbm Mediant — a tonic-family shade Db · Fb · Ab 2×
V/vi C# Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant C# · E# · G# —
IV D Subdominant — moves away from home D · F# · A 17×
IV6 D6 Subdominant — moves away from home D · F# · A · B 3×
IV D/B Subdominant — moves away from home D · F# · A 1×
IV+ Daug Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · F# · A# 6×
V7sus4 E7sus Dominant — strongest pull home E · A · B · D 13×
V E Dominant — strongest pull home E · G# · B 12×
V7 E7/D Dominant — strongest pull home E · G# · B · D 10×
V7 E7 Dominant — strongest pull home E · G# · B · D 3×
v7 Em7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key E · G · B · D 6×
vi7 Gbm7 Relative minor — the melancholy side Gb · A · Db · Fb 20×
vii° G#dim Leading-tone chord — tension G# · B · D —
Seen from F# minor
Degree Chord Role Notes In song
i7 Gbm7 Tonic — home Gb · A · Db · Fb 20×
ii° G#dim Supertonic — prepares the dominant G# · B · D —
III A Relative major — the bright side A · C# · E 10×
III6 A6 Relative major — the bright side A · C# · E · F# 3×
III A/C# Relative major — the bright side A · C# · E 1×
V7/VI A7 Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Dsecondary dominant A · C# · E · G 7×
V7/VI A9/C# Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Dsecondary dominant A · C# · E · G · B 6×
V7/VI A7/G Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Dsecondary dominant A · C# · E · G 4×
III+ Aaug Chromatic colour chordoutside the key A · C# · E# 3×
V7/VI A9 Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Dsecondary dominant A · C# · E · G · B 3×
V7/VI A7sus Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Dsecondary dominant A · D · E · G 2×
iv7 Bm7 Subdominant — moves away from home B · D · F# · A 26×
v7 Dbm7 Minor dominant — soft pull Db · Fb · Ab · Cb 12×
v Dbm Minor dominant — soft pull Db · Fb · Ab 2×
V C# Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor C# · E# · G# —
VI D Submediant — warm colour D · F# · A 17×
VI6 D6 Submediant — warm colour D · F# · A · B 3×
VI D/B Submediant — warm colour D · F# · A 1×
VI+ Daug Chromatic colour chordoutside the key D · F# · A# 6×
VII7sus4 E7sus Subtonic — steps back to the tonic E · A · B · D 13×
VII E Subtonic — steps back to the tonic E · G# · B 12×
VII7 E7/D Subtonic — steps back to the tonic E · G# · B · D 10×
VII7 E7 Subtonic — steps back to the tonic E · G# · B · D 3×
vii7 Em7 Chromatic colour chordoutside the key E · G · B · D 6×

Analysis

The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 22 different chords appear 170 times in total; 14 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. A7, A9/C#, A7/G, A9, A7sus act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

  1. Dbm7 Gbm7 Aiii7 → vi7 F#mv7 → i7natural-minor cadence ×12
  2. Bm7 E7sus Aii7 → V7sus4ii → V F#miv7 → VII7sus4 ×12
  3. Bm7 E Aii7 → Vii → V F#miv7 → VII ×8
  4. D A9/C# AIV → V7/IVplagal cadence F#mVI → V7/VI ×6
  5. E7sus A AV7sus4 → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII7sus4 → III ×4
  6. A7 D AV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution F#mV7/VI → VI ×3

The move to watch is Dbm7 → Gbm7, heard 12 times. From the A side it reads iii7 → vi7; from the F#m side it is v7 → i7 (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

  • A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
  • Over Bm7, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
  • Over Gbm7, land on Gb, A, Db — 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.

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 A major shapes

    • No capo — open A shapes
    • Capo 2 + G shapes
    • Capo 5 + E shapes

    With F# minor shapes

    • Capo 2 + Em shapes
    • Capo 4 + Dm 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 E7sus, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The backbone is Bm7, Gbm7, D, E7sus — ii7–vi7–IV–V7sus4 from the A side, iv7–i7–VI–VII7sus4 from the F#m side. A7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to D. Keep an ear on Dbm7 → Gbm7 (iii7 → vi7 in A, v7 → i7 in F#m): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. Ending on A, the song seals A 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.

    Whitney Houston - Greatest Love Of All 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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