Madonna - Power of Goodbye - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords Db, Eb, Fm, Ab Easy key G (capo 1)

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

                  Fm  Db          Ab    Eb
Your heart is not open so I must go
                   Fm   Db            Ab    Eb
The spell has been broken... I loved you so
Fm                      Db
Freedom comes when you learn to let go
Ab                        Eb
Creation comes when you learn to say no
Db       Eb

            Fm  Db            Ab    Eb
You were my lesson I had to learn
           Fm    Db            Ab    Eb
I was your fortress you had to burn
Fm                      Db
Pain is a warning that something's wrong
Ab                  Eb               Db
I pray to God that it won't be long
Db            Eb
I wanna go higher


        Fm      Db      Ab    Eb
There's nothing left to try
        Fm       Db       Ab    Eb
There's no place left to hide
        Fm         Db               Ab    Eb     Db     Eb
There's no greater power than the power of good-bye


Fm      Db       Ab       Eb
Db      Eb


                  Fm  Db       Ab    Eb
Your heart is not open so I must go
                Fm      Db           Ab    Eb
The spell has been broken... I loved you so
            Fm   Db          Ab    Eb
You were my lesson I had to learn
           Db           Eb
I was your fortress


        Fm      Db       Ab    Eb
There's nothing left to lose
        Fm      Db         Ab    Eb
There's no more heart to bruise
        Fm         Db               Ab    Eb     Db     Eb
There's no greater power that the power of good-bye
  Fm   Db  Ab    Eb
Learn to say good-bye
  Fm   Db   Ab    Eb
I yearn to say good-bye

End of song Play again?

Madonna - Power of Goodbye Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Madonna – Power of Goodbye: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Ab major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

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

Minor view

F minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the F minor side because it opens on Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Ab 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 Ab or to Fm; 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 Ab major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Ab	Tonic — home	Ab · C · Eb	18×
ii	Bbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Bb · Db · F	—
iii	Cm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C · Eb · G	—
V/vi	C	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	—
IV	Db	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	25×
V	Eb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	24×
vi	Fm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C	18×
vii°	Gdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G · Bb · Db	—

Seen from F minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Fm	Tonic — home	F · Ab · C	18×
ii°	Gdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · Db	—
III	Ab	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	18×
iv	Bbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · Db · F	—
v	Cm	Minor dominant — soft pull	C · Eb · G	—
V	C	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G	—
VI	Db	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	25×
VII	Eb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	24×

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 4 different chords appear 85 times in total; 4 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

Db Ab AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×18
Eb Fm AbV → videceptive cadence FmVII → iAeolian arrival ×17
Db Eb AbIV → VIV → V FmVI → VIIVI → VII ×6

The move to watch is Db → Ab, heard 18 times. From the Fm side it is VI → III; from the Ab side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

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

Capo 1 + G shapes
Capo 4 + E shapes
Capo 6 + D shapes

With F minor shapes

Capo 1 + Em shapes
Capo 3 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
1 semitone up

The song's harmonic story

The first chord is Fm; the ear learns where home is within a second. Db, Eb, Fm, Ab carry the song: IV–V–vi–I relative to Ab, VI–VII–i–III relative to Fm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Db → Ab (IV → I in Ab, VI → III in Fm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. Ending on Eb, the song seals Ab 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.