Eric Clapton - Layla (Acoustic) - Chord

Key F major – D minor Chords Dm, C, Bb, A, E, C#m7, F#m, B … Difficulty already in its easiest key

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Dm  Bb  C  Dm
Dm  Bb  C  A  C

C#m7                           G#7
 What will you do when you get lonely?
C#m7   C       D       E    E7
No one waiting by your side
F#m         B           E               A
You've been runnin' and hiding much too long
F#m           B                 E
You know it's just your foolish pride

A     Dm  Bb
Layla
C            Dm             Dm  Bb
Got me on my knees, Layla
    C               Dm           Dm  Bb
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C                 Dm               Dm  Bb  C  A C
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

C#m7                      G#7
I tried to give you consolation
C#m7     C      D       E    E7
Your old man he let you down
F#m    B       E                 A
Like a fool, I fell in love with you
F#m           B                  E 
You turned my whole world upside down

A     Dm  Bb
Layla
       C            Dm            Dm  Bb
You've got me on my knees, Layla
    C               Dm            Dm  Bb
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C                 Dm                    Dm  Bb  C  A C
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

C#m7                    G#7
Make the best of the situation
C#m7     C       D    E    E7
Before I finally go insane
F#m          B         E            A
Please don't say we'll never find a way
F#m     B                E
Tell me all my love's in vain

A     Dm  Bb
Layla
       C            Dm           Dm  Bb
You've got me on my knees, Layla
    C               Dm            Dm  Bb
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C                 Dm                    Dm  Bb  C  Dm 
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

   Dm  Bb
Layla
       C            Dm           Dm  Bb
You've got me on my knees, Layla
    C               Dm            Dm  Bb
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C                 Dm                    Dm  Bb  C  Dm
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

Dm  Bb  C  Dm

   Dm  Bb
Layla
       C            Dm           Dm  Bb
You've got me on my knees, Layla
    C               Dm            Dm  Bb
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C                 Dm                    Dm  Bb  C  Dm
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

   Dm  Bb
Layla
       C            Dm           Dm  Bb
You've got me on my knees, Layla
    C               Dm            Dm  Bb
I'm beggin' darling please, Layla
C                                   Dm   
Darling won't you ease my worried mind?

End of song Play again?

Eric Clapton - Layla (Acoustic) Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Eric Clapton – Layla (Acoustic): key and chord analysis

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

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)

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 both starts and finishes on Dm, Dm is heard 49 times while F never appears 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.

Seen from F major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	F	Tonic — home	F · A · C	—
bii	F#m	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F# · A · C#	6×
ii	Gm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · D	—
bIII7	G#7	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	G# · B# · D# · F#	3×
iii	Am	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	A · C · E	—
V/vi	A	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	9×
IV	Bb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · D · F	26×
#IV	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	6×
V	C	Dominant — strongest pull home	C · E · G	32×
bvi7	C#m7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E · G# · B	6×
vi	Dm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	D · F · A	49×
VI	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	3×
vii°	Edim	Leading-tone chord — tension	E · G · Bb	—
V/iii	E	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	9×
V7/iii	E7	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	3×

Seen from D minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Dm	Tonic — home	D · F · A	49×
I	D	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	D · F# · A	3×
ii°	Edim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	E · G · Bb	—
V/v	E	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	9×
V7/v	E7	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	3×
III	F	Relative major — the bright side	F · A · C	—
#iii	F#m	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	F# · A · C#	6×
iv	Gm	Subdominant — moves away from home	G · Bb · D	—
#IV7	G#7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G# · B# · D# · F#	3×
v	Am	Minor dominant — soft pull	A · C · E	—
V	A	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	A · C# · E	9×
VI	Bb	Submediant — warm colour	Bb · D · F	26×
#VI	B	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	B · D# · F#	6×
VII	C	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	C · E · G	32×
#vii7	C#m7	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C# · E · G# · B	6×

Analysis

The key pair is F major and its relative D minor (1 flat). 11 different chords appear 152 times in total; 3 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 A is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Dm. E, E7 act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. G#7 is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

Bb C FIV → VIV → V DmVI → VIIVI → VII ×26
C Dm FV → videceptive cadence DmVII → iAeolian arrival ×23
A Dm FV/vi → vi DmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×3
G#7 C#m7 FbIII7 → bvi7secondary resolution Dm#IV7 → #vii7 ×3

The move to watch is Bb → C, heard 26 times. From the Dm side it is VI → VII (VI → VII: the rising step that heads for the tonic); from the F 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.

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 Dm, land on D, F, A — 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.
Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When A comes, swap the scale's C for C#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On G#7, follow the chord's notes (G# · B# · D# · F#) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.

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

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

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Dm; the ear learns where home is within a second. The backbone is Dm, C, Bb, A — vi–V–IV–V/vi from the F side, i–VII–VI–V from the Dm side. A is the interesting twist: in F it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Dm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on Bb → C (IV → V in F, VI → VII in Dm): VI → VII — the rising step that heads for the tonic. It closes on Dm, 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.