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)
Eric Clapton - Autumn Leaves - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords Bm, Dbm7, Gb7, Dmaj7, Em7, A7, Gmaj7 Easy key C (capo 2)
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
Bm Em7 The falling leaves A7 Dmaj7 Drift by my window Gmaj7 Dbm7 The autumn leaves Gb7 Bm Of red and gold Bm Em7 I see your lips A7 Dmaj7 The summer kisses Gmaj7 Dbm7 The sunburned hands Gb7 Bm I used to hold Bm Dbm7 Since you went away Gb7 Bm The days grow long Bm Em7 And soon I'll hear A7 Dmaj7 Old winter's song Dmaj7 Dbm7 But I miss you Dbm7 Gb7 Most of all Gb7 Bm My Darling Bm Dbm7 When autumn leaves Gb7 Bm Start to fall
End of song Play again?
Eric Clapton - Autumn Leaves Tabs
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Harmony analysis
Eric Clapton – Autumn Leaves: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Bm and ends on Bm. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = A# (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 B minor side because it both starts and finishes on Bm, Bm is heard 10 times against 4 for D and the major V chord points straight at Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from D 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 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Dmaj7 | Tonic — home | D · F# · A · C# | 4× |
| ii7 | Em7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B · D | 3× |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | — |
| V7/vi | Gb7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | Gb · Bb · Db · Fb | 6× |
| IVmaj7 | Gmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D · F# | 2× |
| V7 | A7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E · G | 3× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 10× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| vii7 | Dbm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Db · Fb · Ab · Cb | 6× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 10× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| ii7 | Dbm7 | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Db · Fb · Ab · Cb | 6× |
| IIImaj7 | Dmaj7 | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A · C# | 4× |
| iv7 | Em7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B · D | 3× |
| v | F#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# | — |
| V7 | Gb7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Gb · Bb · Db · Fb | 6× |
| VImaj7 | Gmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D · F# | 2× |
| VII7 | A7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E · G | 3× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 7 different chords appear 34 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Bm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from D, the same Gb7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Bm. Dbm7 step outside the scale as colour chords.
Chord movement
- Gb7 Bm DV7/vi → visecondary resolution BmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×5
- A7 Dmaj7 DV7 → Imaj7authentic cadence BmVII7 → IIImaj7 ×3
- Em7 A7 Dii7 → V7ii → V Bmiv7 → VII7 ×3
The move to watch is Gb7 → Bm, heard 5 times. From the Bm side it is V7 → i (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the D side it reads V7/vi → vi (secondary resolution: Gb7 resolves a fourth up to Bm). 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 Dbm7, land on Db, Fb, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Gb7, land on Gb, Bb, Db — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When Gb7 comes, swap the scale's A for A#: 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 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
The opening Bm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is Bm, Dbm7, Gb7, Dmaj7 — vi–vii7–V7/vi–Imaj7 from the D side, i–ii7–V7–IIImaj7 from the Bm side. Gb7 is the interesting twist: in D it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Bm it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Gb7 → Bm (V7/vi → vi in D, V7 → i in Bm): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. The final chord is Bm; the ear comes to rest in Bm.
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.
Eric Clapton - Autumn Leaves 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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