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Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords Am, G, C, D, F, Am/G, Em, Eaug … Difficulty already in its easiest key

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Capo 0 
Am   Eaug   C   D   F   G   Am

          Am         Eaug
There’s a lady who’s sure
         C           D
All that glitters is gold
          F                    G  Am
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven.
         Am             Eaug
When she gets there she knows
       C              D
If the stores are all closed
       F                         G    Am
With a word she can get what she came for.
C    D    F    Am            C        G              D
Ooh, ooh, Ooh, ooh and she’s buying a stairway to heaven.

          Am          Eaug
There’s a sign on the wall
        C           D
But she wants to be sure
          F                             G   Am
cause you know sometimes words have two meanings.
     Am          Eaug
In a tree by the brook
          C            D
There’s a songbird who sings,
          F                       G  Am
Sometimes all of our thoughts are misgiven.

Am   Eaug   C   D   F   G   Am

D                Am    Em  D  C  D
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
D  Dsus4 D                Am   Em  D  C  D
Ooh,      and it makes me wonder.

          C         G
There’s a feeling I get
       Am
When I look to the west,
       C         G          F   Am
And my spirit is crying for leaving.
      C               G
In my thoughts I have seen
         Am
Rings of smoke through the trees,
        C         G               F   Am 
And the voices of those who stand looking.

C  G  Am

D                Am    Em  D  C  D
Ooh, it makes me wonder,
D  Dsus4 D                Am   Em  D  C  D
Ooh,      and it makes me wonder.

        C              G
And its whispered that soon
      Am          
If we all call the tune
         C          G          F   Am
Then the piper will lead us to reason.
      C            G
And a new day will dawn
    Am
For those who stand long
        C            G         F    Am
And the forests will echo with laughter.

C  G  Am

Am  D   Am   Em  D  C  D

Am
Ooooohh

D        Am   Em  D  C  D
Oooooooohh

C            G              Am
If there’s a bustle in your hedgerow
         G
Don’t be alarmed now,
C           G                    Am
It’s just a spring clean for the may queen.
C              G                 Am
Yes, there are two paths you can go by
           G
But in the long run
C             G                  Am
There’s still time to change the road you’re on.
D                Am    Em  D  C  D
Ooh, it makes me wonder

C            G              Am
Your head is humming and it won’t go
        G
In case you don’t know,
C          G              Am
The pipers calling you to join him,
C          G                Am
Dear lady, can you hear the wind blow,
        G
And did you know
C             G           Am              C  G  Am
Your stairway lies on the whispering wind.

D  Dsus2  D  Dsus4  D  Dsus2  D  Dsus4   C  Cadd9  C  Cadd9  C

Am        G                F   Am/G
And as we wind on down the road
            G               F   Am/G
Our shadows taller than our soul.
              G           F   Am/G
There walks a lady we all know
           G                        F   Am/G
Who shines white light and wants to show
         G                    F   Am/G
How everything still turns to gold.
           G           F   Am/G
And if you listen very hard
              G              F   Am/G
The tune will come to you at last.
             G              F  Am/G
When all are one and one is all
        G               F
To be a rock and not to roll.

          F        G              Am
And she’s buying a stairway to heaven

End of song Play again?

Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Led Zeppelin – Stairway To Heaven: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Am and ends on Am. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

C major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

  • 7 = B (leading tone, pulls home)
  • 4 = F (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

A minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

  • b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
  • b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
  • #7 = G# (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 A minor side because it both starts and finishes on Am, Am is heard 51 times against 39 for C and the major V chord points straight at Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from C 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 C or to Am; 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 C major
Degree Chord Role Notes In song
I C Tonic — home C · E · G 37×
I Cadd9 Tonic — home C · E · G · D 2×
IIsus4 Dsus4 Supertonic — prepares the dominant D · G · A 4×
IIsus2 Dsus2 Supertonic — prepares the dominant D · E · A 2×
ii Dm Supertonic — prepares the dominant D · F · A —
V/V D Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant D · F# · A 35×
iii Em Mediant — a tonic-family shade E · G · B 7×
III+ Eaug Chromatic colour chordoutside the key E · G# · B# 6×
V/vi E Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant E · G# · B —
IV F Subdominant — moves away from home F · A · C 21×
V G Dominant — strongest pull home G · B · D 40×
vi Am Relative minor — the melancholy side A · C · E 43×
vi Am/G Relative minor — the melancholy side A · C · E 8×
vii° Bdim Leading-tone chord — tension B · D · F —
Seen from A minor
Degree Chord Role Notes In song
i Am Tonic — home A · C · E 43×
i Am/G Tonic — home A · C · E 8×
ii° Bdim Supertonic — prepares the dominant B · D · F —
III C Relative major — the bright side C · E · G 37×
III Cadd9 Relative major — the bright side C · E · G · D 2×
IVsus4 Dsus4 Subdominant — moves away from home D · G · A 4×
IVsus2 Dsus2 Subdominant — moves away from home D · E · A 2×
iv Dm Subdominant — moves away from home D · F · A —
IV D Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour D · F# · A 35×
v Em Minor dominant — soft pull E · G · B 7×
V+ Eaug Chromatic colour chordoutside the key E · G# · B# 6×
V E Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor E · G# · B —
VI F Submediant — warm colour F · A · C 21×
VII G Subtonic — steps back to the tonic G · B · D 40×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 11 different chords appear 205 times in total; 9 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull. D acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

  1. G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×22
  2. F Am/G CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×8
  3. F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×7
  4. F Am CIV → vi AmVI → iVI → i ×5
  5. G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×4

The move to watch is G → Am, heard 22 times. From the Am side it is VII → i (Aeolian arrival: rises a whole tone into home); from the C side it reads V → vi (deceptive cadence: expected C, lands on Am). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

  • C major pentatonic and A minor pentatonic are the same five notes (C – D – E – G – A): start from C for a brighter phrase, from A for a bluesier one.
  • Over Am, land on A, C, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
  • Over G, land on G, B, D — 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.
  • When Eaug comes, swap the scale's G for G#: 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 C major shapes

    • No capo — open C shapes
    • Capo 3 + A shapes
    • Capo 5 + G shapes

    With A minor shapes

    • No capo — open Am shapes
    • Capo 5 + Em shapes
    • Capo 7 + Dm shapes

    Easiest keys on guitar

    The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

    The song's harmonic story

    The opening Am lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Am, G, C, D carry the song: vi–V–I–V/V relative to C, i–VII–III–IV relative to Am. Eaug is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (III+), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V+) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on G → Am (V → vi in C, VII → i in Am): Aeolian arrival — rises a whole tone into home. The final chord is Am; the ear comes to rest in Am.

    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.

    Led Zeppelin - Stairway To Heaven 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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