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)
Cat Stevens - If You Want to Sing Out - Chord
Key C major – A minor Chords G, C, Am, Fadd9, Em, Asus2, Dm, F Easy key G (capo 5)
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Key: C | Am
Capo: 0
G C G Fadd9
Well if you want to sing out, sing out
G C G Am Asus2
And if you want to be free, be free
Dm Am G
Cause there's a million things to be
C G Riff 1
You know that there are
G C G Fadd9
And if you want to live high, live high
G C G Am Asus2
And if you want to live low, live low
Dm Am G
Cause there's a million ways to go
C G Riff 2
You know that there are
C F G C
You can do what you want, The opportunity's on.
C F G C
And if you find a new way, You can do it today.
C F! G C
You can make it all true. And you can make it undo
Am Em Am Em Am Em G
You, see, Ahhh it's easy, AAhhhh, you only, need, to know.
G C G Fadd9
Well if you want to say yes, say yes.
G C G Am Asus2
And if you want to say no, say no.
Dm Am G
Cause there's a million ways to go.
C G
You know that there are.
G C G Fadd9
And if you want to be me, be me.
G C G Am Asus2
And if you want to be you, be you.
Dm Am G
Cause there's a million things to do.
C G
You know that there are.
C F G C
You can do what you want, The opportunity's on.
C F G C
And if you find a new way, You can do it today.
C F G C
You can make it all true. And you can make it undo
Am Em Am Em Am Em G
You, see, Ahhh it's easy, AAhhhh, you only, need, to know.
G C G Fadd9
Well if you want to sing out, sing out
G C G Am Asus2
And if you want to be free, be free
Dm Am G
Cause there's a million things to be
C G
You know that there are
G C G
You know that there are
G C G
You know that there are
G C G C G Fadd9 G C G Fadd9
You know that there are, are
G C G Fadd9 G C G Fadd9
G C
End of song Play again?
Cat Stevens - If You Want to Sing Out Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Cat Stevens – If You Want to Sing Out: key and chord analysis
The song opens on G and ends on C. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
A minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = F (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = G (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the C major side because it comes to rest on C and C is heard 31 times against 16 for Am. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from A minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | C | Tonic — home | C · E · G | 31× |
| ii | Dm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | D · F · A | 5× |
| iii | Em | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | E · G · B | 6× |
| V/vi | E | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant | E · G# · B | — |
| IV | Fadd9 | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C · G | 9× |
| IV | F | Subdominant — moves away from home | F · A · C | 5× |
| V | G | Dominant — strongest pull home | G · B · D | 49× |
| vi | Am | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · C · E | 16× |
| VIsus2 | Asus2 | Relative minor — the melancholy side | A · B · E | 5× |
| vii° | Bdim | Leading-tone chord — tension | B · D · F | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Am | Tonic — home | A · C · E | 16× |
| Isus2 | Asus2 | Tonic — home | A · B · E | 5× |
| ii° | Bdim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F | — |
| III | C | Relative major — the bright side | C · E · G | 31× |
| iv | Dm | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F · A | 5× |
| v | Em | Minor dominant — soft pull | E · G · B | 6× |
| V | E | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | E · G# · B | — |
| VI | Fadd9 | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C · G | 9× |
| VI | F | Submediant — warm colour | F · A · C | 5× |
| VII | G | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | G · B · D | 49× |
Analysis
The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 8 different chords appear 126 times in total; 8 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
- G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×28
- Fadd9 G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×9
- G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×5
- Dm Am Cii → vi Amiv → iminor plagal ×5
- F G CIV → VIV → V AmVI → VIIVI → VII ×5
- Em Am Ciii → vi Amv → inatural-minor cadence ×4
The move to watch is G → C, heard 28 times. From the C side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home); from the Am side it is VII → III. 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 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.
- Over Am, land on A, C, E — 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 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
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is G; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are G, C, Am, Fadd9; read them as V–I–vi–IV in C or VII–III–i–VI in Am. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on G → C (V → I in C, VII → III in Am): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. It closes on C, letting the C 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.
Cat Stevens - If You Want to Sing Out 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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