Mariah Carey - When You Believe - Chord

Key D major – B minor Chords A, B, Bm, E, Gbm, D, Dbm, Em … Easy key F

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Capo 0

Bm                A            Gbm         Bm
Many nights we've prayed, with no proof anyone could hear
Bm              D               Em          Gbm
In our hearts a hopeful song we barely understood
 Bm              A              Gbm                 Bm
Now we are not afraid, although we know there's much to fear
G              D                Em              A
We were moving mountains long before we knew we could

D                    A/C#
There can be miracles, when you believe
Bm             A           G
Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
D                     A/C#
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
Bm          A
When you believe
    G            Em              A       Bm
Somehow you will,  you will when you believe

Bm                A            Gbm         Bm
In this time of fear, when prayer so often proves in vain
Bm              D               Em          Gbm
Hope seemed like the summer birds too swiftly flown away
    B           A                               E4       E
Yet now I'm standing here, my heart's so full, I can't explain
G              D                Em              A
Seeking faith and speaking words I never thought I'd say

E                   B/D#
There can be miracles, when you believe
Dbm            B           A
Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
E                     B/D#
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
Dbm         B
When you believe
    A            Gbm             B      E
Somehow you will,  you will when you believe

E  C#m  A  B


           Dbm           B/D#     E     B  E/G#
They don’t always happen when you ask
         Dbm          B/D#       E     B/F#  E/G#
And it’s easy to give in to your fear
    A                   E/G#    B/F#
But when you’re blinded by your pain
      E        B/D#     Dbm         B
Can’t see your way safe through the rain
Dbm
Thought of a still resilient voice
     B
Says love is very near

Gb                  Db/E#
There can be miracles, when you believe
Ebm            Db          B
Though hope is frail, it's hard to kill
Gb                    Db/E#
Who knows what miracles you can achieve
Ebm         Db
When you believe
    B             Ebm
Somehow you will, now you will
B             Db     Ebm  Db
You will when you believe
B             Db     Gb
You will when you believe

End of song Play again?

Mariah Carey - When You Believe Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Mariah Carey – When You Believe: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Bm and ends on Gb. 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)
#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 opens on Bm, Bm is heard 11 times against 6 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.

Seen from D major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	D	Tonic — home	D · F# · A	6×
bii	Ebm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb	4×
ii	Em	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · B	5×
V/V	E	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant	E · G# · B	8×
V/V	E/G#	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant	E · G# · B	3×
V/V	E4	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Asecondary dominant	E · G# · B	1×
iii	Gbm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	Gb · A · Db	6×
V/vi	Gb	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant	Gb · Bb · Db	3×
IV	G	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · B · D	4×
V	A	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	13×
V	A/C#	Dominant — strongest pull home	A · C# · E	2×
vi	Bm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	B · D · F#	11×
V/ii	B	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	12×
V/ii	B/D#	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	5×
V/ii	B/F#	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	2×
vii°	C#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	C# · E · G	—
vii	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	6×
V/iii	Db	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	5×
V/iii	Db/E#	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	2×
vii	C#m	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E · G#	1×

Seen from B minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Bm	Tonic — home	B · D · F#	11×
V/iv	B	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	12×
V/iv	B/D#	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	5×
V/iv	B/F#	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F#	2×
ii°	C#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C# · E · G	—
ii	Dbm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Db · Fb · Ab	6×
V/v	Db	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	5×
V/v	Db/E#	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Gbmsecondary dominant	Db · F · Ab	2×
ii	C#m	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E · G#	1×
III	D	Relative major — the bright side	D · F# · A	6×
#iii	Ebm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb	4×
iv	Em	Subdominant — moves away from home	E · G · B	5×
IV	E	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	E · G# · B	8×
IV	E/G#	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	E · G# · B	3×
IV	E4	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	E · G# · B	1×
v	Gbm	Minor dominant — soft pull	Gb · A · Db	6×
V	Gb	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	Gb · Bb · Db	3×
VI	G	Submediant — warm colour	G · B · D	4×
VII	A	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	13×
VII	A/C#	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	A · C# · E	2×

Analysis

The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 19 different chords appear 99 times in total; 7 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 Gb is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Bm. B, E, B/D#, Db, E/G#, B/F#, Db/E#, E4 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

Gbm Bm Diii → vi Bmv → inatural-minor cadence ×4
G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×3
Em A Dii → Vii → V Bmiv → VII ×3
A/C# Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×2
A D DV → Iauthentic cadence BmVII → III ×1
A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×1

The move to watch is Gbm → Bm, heard 4 times. From the Bm side it is v → i (natural-minor cadence: gentle, modal arrival); from the D side it reads iii → vi. 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 A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over B, land on B, D#, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Bm, land on B, D, F# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When Gb 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

3 semitones up
2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

The opening Bm lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The backbone is A, B, Bm, E — V–V/ii–vi–V/V from the D side, VII–V/iv–i–IV from the Bm side. B is the interesting twist: in D it is a chromatic chord (V/ii), while in Bm it becomes the dominant (V/iv) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Gbm → Bm (iii → vi in D, v → i in Bm): natural-minor cadence — gentle, modal arrival. It closes on Gb, 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.

Mariah Carey - When You Believe 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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