Major view
F major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = E (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = Bb (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Beatles - Hey Jude - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords F, Bb, C, C7, F7, F/A, Gm, C/E … Easy key D (capo 3)
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
F C
Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
C7 F
Take a sad song and make it better
Bb F
Remember, to let her into your heart
C F
Then you can start, to make it better
F C
Hey, Jude, don't be afraid
C7 F
You were made to go out and get her
Bb F
The minute you let her under your skin
C F
Then you begin to make it better
F7 Bb
And anytime you feel the pain
F/A Gm
Hey, Jude, refrain,
F C/E
Don't carry the world
F F7
Upon your shoulders
Bb
For well you know that it's a fool
F/A Gm
Who plays it cool
F C/E F
By making his world a little colder
C
Na na na na na na na na na
F C
Hey, Jude, don't let me down
C7 F
You have found her now go and get her
Bb F
Remember to let her into your heart
C F
Then you can start to make it better
F7 Bb
So let it out and let it in
F/A Gm
Hey, Jude, begin
F C/E
You're waiting for someone
F F7
To perform with
Bb
And don't you know that is just you
F/A Gm
Hey, Jude, you'll do
F C/E
The movement you need
F
Is on your shoulder
C
Na na na na na na na na na
F C
Hey, Jude, don't make it bad
C7 F
Take a sad song and make it better
Bb F
Remember to let her under your skin
C F
Then you'll begin to make it better
(Better, better, better
Better, better, oh!)
Eb
Na, na na na na na na
Bb F
Na na na na, Hey Jude
Eb
Na, na na na na na na
Bb F
Na na na na, Hey Jude
Eb
Na, na na na na na na
Bb F
Na na na na, Hey Jude
Eb
Na, na na na na na na
Bb F
Na na na na, Hey Jude
Na, na na na na na na
Na na na na, Hey Jude
End of song Play again?
Beatles - Hey Jude Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Beatles – Hey Jude: key and chord analysis
The song opens on F and ends on F. Its chords belong to both F major and Dm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
D minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Bb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = C (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F major side because it both starts and finishes on F and F is heard 36 times while Dm never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from D minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to F or to Dm; 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 | F | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 28× |
| I | F/A | Tonic — home | F · A · C | 4× |
| V7/IV | F7 | Secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Bbsecondary dominant | F · A · C · Eb | 4× |
| ii | Gm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D | 4× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | — |
| III | A | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | A · C# · E | — |
| IV | Bb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F | 12× |
| V | C | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 10× |
| V7 | C7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G · Bb | 4× |
| V | C/E | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G | 4× |
| vi | Dm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A | — |
| bVII | Eb | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | Eb · G · Bb | 4× |
| vii° | Edim | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Dm | Tonic — home | D · F · A | — |
| bII | Eb | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | Eb · G · Bb | 4× |
| ii° | Edim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb | — |
| III | F | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 28× |
| III | F/A | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C | 4× |
| V7/VI | F7 | Secondary dominant V/VI — leads to Bbsecondary dominant | F · A · C · Eb | 4× |
| iv | Gm | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D | 4× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | — |
| V | A | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E | — |
| VI | Bb | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F | 12× |
| VII | C | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 10× |
| VII7 | C7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G · Bb | 4× |
| VII | C/E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G | 4× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 9 different chords appear 74 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. F7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Eb is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- Bb F FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×8
- C F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×6
- C7 F FV7 → Iauthentic cadence DmVII7 → III ×4
- C/E F FV → Iauthentic cadence DmVII → III ×4
- Bb F/A FIV → Iplagal cadence DmVI → III ×4
- F7 Bb FV7/IV → IVsecondary resolution DmV7/VI → VI ×4
The move to watch is Bb → F, heard 8 times. From the F side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Dm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- F major pentatonic and D minor pentatonic are the same five notes (F – G – A – C – D): start from F for a brighter phrase, from D for a bluesier one.
- Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- On Eb, follow the chord's notes (Eb · G · Bb) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.
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 F major shapes
- Capo 1 + E shapes
- Capo 3 + D shapes
- Capo 5 + C shapes
With D minor shapes
- No capo — open Dm shapes
- Capo 5 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening F lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are F, Bb, C, C7; read them as I–IV–V–V7 in F or III–VI–VII–VII7 in Dm. F7 adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/IV — leads to Bb. Keep an ear on Bb → F (IV → I in F, VI → III in Dm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on F, letting the F 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.
Beatles - Hey Jude 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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