Erkin Koray - Yalnızlar Rıhtımı - Chord

Key A major – F# minor Chords A, E, D Difficulty already in its easiest key

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

A
Bir ben miyim perişan, gecenin karanlığında   
                 E
Yosun tuttu gözlerim   
                     A
Yalnızlar rıhtımında   
                E
Bütün gece ağladım     
                D
Dalgalar kucağında     
                  E
Yosun tuttu gözlerim   
                     A
Yalnızlar rıhtımında    
A
Bir beni mi unuttular, uçup gitti martılar    
                 E
Geceler ben ve deniz   
                     A
Yalnızlar rıhtımında    
                E
Bütün gece ağladım     
                D
Dalgalar kucağında     
                  E
Yosun tuttu gözlerim   
                     A
Yalnızlar rıhtımında

End of song Play again?

Erkin Koray - Yalnızlar Rıhtımı Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Erkin Koray – Yalnızlar Rıhtımı: key and chord analysis

The song opens on A and ends on A. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

A major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

F# minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = E (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it both starts and finishes on A and A is heard 6 times while F#m never appears. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F# minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to A or to F#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.

Seen from A major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	A	Tonic — home	A · C# · E	6×
ii	Bm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F#	—
iii	C#m	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C# · E · G#	—
III	C#	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E# · G#	—
IV	D	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F# · A	2×
V	E	Dominant — strongest pull home	E · G# · B	6×
vi	F#m	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F# · A · C#	—
vii°	G#dim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G# · B · D	—

Seen from F# minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	F#m	Tonic — home	F# · A · C#	—
ii°	G#dim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G# · B · D	—
III	A	Relative major — the bright side	A · C# · E	6×
iv	Bm	Subdominant — moves away from home	B · D · F#	—
v	C#m	Minor dominant — soft pull	C# · E · G#	—
V	C#	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C# · E# · G#	—
VI	D	Submediant — warm colour	D · F# · A	2×
VII	E	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	E · G# · B	6×

Analysis

The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 3 different chords appear 14 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.

Chord movement

E A AV → Iauthentic cadence F#mVII → III ×4
D E AIV → VIV → V F#mVI → VIIVI → VII ×2

The move to watch is E → A, heard 4 times. From the A side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the F#m side it is VII → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

No capo — open A shapes
Capo 2 + G shapes
Capo 5 + E shapes

With F# minor shapes

Capo 2 + Em shapes
Capo 4 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

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

The song's harmonic story

Starting on A, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. A, E, D carry the song: I–V–IV relative to A, III–VII–VI relative to F#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on E → A (V → I in A, VII → III in F#m): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on A, the song seals A as home.

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.