Eric Clapton - Layla - Chord

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Gb or to Ebm; 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.

Analysis

The key pair is Gb major and its relative Eb minor (6 flats). 11 different chords appear 152 times in total; 3 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Ebm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Gb, the same A# is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Ebm. F, F7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. A7 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

1. B → C# GbIV → VIV → V EbmVI → VIIVI → VII ×26
2. C# → D#m GbV → videceptive cadence EbmVII → iAeolian arrival ×23
3. A# → D#m GbV/vi → vi EbmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×3
4. A7 → Dm7 GbbIII7 → bvi7secondary resolution Ebm#IV7 → #vii7 ×3

The move to watch is B → C#, heard 26 times. From the Ebm side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic); from the Gb side it reads IV → V (IV → V: the lift that builds tension before home). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Capo and easier keys

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is D#m; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are D#m, C#, B, A#; read them as vi–V–IV–V/vi in Gb or i–VII–VI–V in Ebm. A# is the interesting twist: in Gb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Ebm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on B → C# (IV → V in Gb, VI → VII in Ebm): VI → VII — the rising step that heads for the tonic. Ending on D#m, the song seals Ebm 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.