Major view
B major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = A# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = E (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Coldplay - Yellow - Chord
Key B major – G# minor Chords E, B, F#, G#m, F#m Easy key G (capo 4)
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Key: B | Abm | G#m
Capo: 0
B F# E B
B
Look at the stars
F#
Look how they shine for you
E
And everything you do
Yeah, they were all yellow
B
I came along
F#
I wrote a song for you
E
And all the things you do
And it was called yellow
B F#
So then I took my turn
E
Oh what a thing to have done
B
And it was all yellow
E G#m F#
Your skin, oh yeah your skin and bones
E G#m F#
Turn into something beautiful
E G#m F#
You know, you know I love you so
E
You know I love you so
B F# E B
B
I swam across
F#
I jumped across for you
E
Oh, what a thing to do
'Cause you were all yellow
B
I drew a line
F#
I drew a line for you
E
Oh, what a thing to do
B
And it was all yellow
E G#m F#
Your skin, oh yeah your skin and bones
E G#m F#
Turn into something beautiful
E G#m F#
You know, for you I'd bleed myself dry
E
For you I'd bleed my self dry
B F# E B
B
It's true
F#
Look how they shine for you
E
Look how they shine for you
B
Look how they shine for
F#
Look how they shine for you
E
Look how they shine for you
Look how they shine
B
Look at the stars
F#m
Look how they shine for you
E
And all the things that you do
End of song Play again?
Coldplay - Yellow Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Coldplay – Yellow: key and chord analysis
The song opens on B and ends on E. Its chords belong to both B major and G#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = E (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = F# (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the B major side because it opens on B and B is heard 16 times against 6 for G#m. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from G# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to B or to G#m; 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 | B | Tonic — home | B · D# · F# | 16× |
| ii | C#m | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G# | — |
| iii | D#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D# · F# · A# | — |
| V/vi | D# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to G#msecondary dominant | D# · G · A# | — |
| IV | E | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G# · B | 19× |
| V | F# | Dominant — strongest pull home | F# · A# · C# | 16× |
| v | F#m | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F# · A · C# | 1× |
| vi | G#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | G# · B · D# | 6× |
| vii° | A#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A# · C# · E | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | G#m | Tonic — home | G# · B · D# | 6× |
| ii° | A#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A# · C# · E | — |
| III | B | Relative major — the bright side | B · D# · F# | 16× |
| iv | C#m | Subdominant — moves away from home | C# · E · G# | — |
| v | D#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | D# · F# · A# | — |
| V | D# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | D# · G · A# | — |
| VI | E | Submediant — warm colour | E · G# · B | 19× |
| VII | F# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F# · A# · C# | 16× |
| vii | F#m | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F# · A · C# | 1× |
Analysis
The key pair is B major and its relative G# minor (5 sharps). 5 different chords appear 58 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. F#m step outside the scale as colour chords.
Chord movement
- E B BIV → Iplagal cadence G#mVI → III ×12
- E G#m BIV → vi G#mVI → iVI → i ×6
The move to watch is E → B, heard 12 times. From the B side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the G#m side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- B major pentatonic and G# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (B – C# – D# – F# – G#): start from B for a brighter phrase, from G# for a bluesier one.
- Over E, land on E, G#, B — 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 F#, land on F#, A#, C# — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
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 B major shapes
- Capo 2 + A shapes
- Capo 4 + G shapes
- Capo 7 + E shapes
With G# minor shapes
- Capo 4 + Em shapes
- Capo 6 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 4 semitones down · capo 4 keeps the original pitch
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is B; the ear learns where home is within a second. E, B, F#, G#m carry the song: IV–I–V–vi relative to B, VI–III–VII–i relative to G#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on E → B (IV → I in B, VI → III in G#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is E; the ear comes to rest in B.
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.
Coldplay - Yellow 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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