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)
Frank Sinatra - Autumn Leaves - Chord
Key F major – D minor Chords Em7b5, A7, Dm7, Gm7, C7, Fmaj7, Bbmaj7, Dm6 Easy key C (capo 5)
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Key: F | Dm
Capo: 0
Gm7 C7
The falling leaves
Fmaj7 Bbmaj7
Drift by the window
Em7b5 A7
The autumn leaves
Dm7 Dm6
Of red and gold
Gm7 C7
I see your lips
Fmaj7 Bbmaj7
The summer kisses
Em7b5 A7
The sunburned hands
Dm7 Dm6
I used to hold
Em7b5 A7
Since you went away
Dm7 Dm6
The days grow long
Gm7 C7
And soon I'll hear
Fmaj7 Bbmaj7
Old winter's song
Em7b5 A7 Dm7
But I miss you most of all my darling
Em7b5 A7
When autumn leaves
Dm7
Start to fall
End of song Play again?
Frank Sinatra - Autumn Leaves Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Frank Sinatra – Autumn Leaves: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Gm7 and ends on Dm7. 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)
- #7 = C# (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 D minor side because it comes to rest on Dm, Dm is heard 8 times against 3 for F and the major V chord points straight at Dm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from F 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 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Imaj7 | Fmaj7 | Tonic — home | F · A · C · E | 3× |
| ii7 | Gm7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G · Bb · D · F | 3× |
| iii | Am | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | A · C · E | — |
| V7/vi | A7 | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant | A · C# · E · G | 5× |
| IVmaj7 | Bbmaj7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | Bb · D · F · A | 3× |
| V7 | C7 | Dominant — strongest pull home | C · E · G · Bb | 3× |
| vi7 | Dm7 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A · C | 5× |
| vi6 | Dm6 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | D · F · A · B | 3× |
| viiø7 | Em7b5 | Leading-tone chord — tension | E · G · Bb · D | 5× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i7 | Dm7 | Tonic — home | D · F · A · C | 5× |
| i6 | Dm6 | Tonic — home | D · F · A · B | 3× |
| iiø7 | Em7b5 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · Bb · D | 5× |
| IIImaj7 | Fmaj7 | Relative major — the bright side | F · A · C · E | 3× |
| iv7 | Gm7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · Bb · D · F | 3× |
| v | Am | Minor dominant — soft pull | A · C · E | — |
| V7 | A7 | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | A · C# · E · G | 5× |
| VImaj7 | Bbmaj7 | Submediant — warm colour | Bb · D · F · A | 3× |
| VII7 | C7 | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | C · E · G · Bb | 3× |
Analysis
The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 8 different chords appear 30 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Dm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from F, the same A7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm.
Chord movement
- A7 Dm7 FV7/vi → vi7secondary resolution DmV7 → i7harmonic-minor cadence ×5
- Em7b5 A7 Fviiø7 → V7/vi Dmiiø7 → V7ii° → V ×5
- C7 Fmaj7 FV7 → Imaj7authentic cadence DmVII7 → IIImaj7 ×3
- Gm7 C7 Fii7 → V7ii → V Dmiv7 → VII7 ×3
The move to watch is A7 → Dm7, heard 5 times. From the Dm side it is V7 → i7 (harmonic-minor cadence: the major V resolves dramatically); from the F side it reads V7/vi → vi7 (secondary resolution: A7 resolves a fourth up to Dm7). 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 Em7b5, land on E, G, Bb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A7, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over Dm7, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When A7 comes, swap the scale's C for C#: 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 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
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones up
The song's harmonic story
The opening Gm7 lays a solid floor for everything that follows. The chords that keep coming back are Em7b5, A7, Dm7, Gm7; read them as viiø7–V7/vi–vi7–ii7 in F or iiø7–V7–i7–iv7 in Dm. A7 is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on A7 → Dm7 (V7/vi → vi7 in F, V7 → i7 in Dm): harmonic-minor cadence — the major V resolves dramatically. It closes on Dm7, letting the Dm 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.
Frank Sinatra - 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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