The mysterious STAIRWAY TO HEAVEN chord 

I feel like Page was playing around on the fingerboard and found a pattern that gave him what he wanted. According to his interview in It Might Get Loud, he was looking for transitions and changes no one would see coming. He was driving for dynamics and tempo changes. He was sick of playing songs in the studio for other people, and wanted to be creative. He was looking to break the rules. You guys should ask Jimmy. He's a super cool guy!

Jimmy Page writing this song: "Ok this is cool AF" The end.

As my teacher called it, the ''James Bond chord''! love it! The bar chord version especially, perfect for finishing a phrase in melodic minor, or harmonic minor too.

2nd inversion C+maj7, but it also functions as a dominant, so 1st inv E+ (same as G#+), with the B being a passing note between A and C. Or Eadd#5/G#, or G#+add#9.

I've always just heard it as an A minor with two separate line cliches, one going down and one going up And yes, I know the top line isn't chromatic, but it's close enough

I think the reality is that while we finger it as a chord, it’s not really played that way in the song. The dissonant notes may be ringing together for a bit but what we hear is the different ascending and descending lines. If you finger the chord sequence and pick on any of the string combinations 1-2-3, 2-3-4, or 1-4, there’s no dissonance. I believe that those lines are what our brains pick out of the song, so it’s really two chords that are overlapping in passing.

Stairway sounds so resonant and familiar because it’s fundamentally a very simple progression: Am, E, C , D, F. G, Am. Using the E/G# and D/F# inversions give you the walking bass from A down to F and the only “out” note is the inclusion of the C in the E/G# which is the flat 6th. Look up “Barry Harris diminished 6th scale” and you’ll find a whole model of jazz based on exactly this - a major scale with an added flat 6th. I’m not suggesting what Barry Harris is doing has anything to do with Stairway, but it shows that the adding a flat 6th to a major scale/chord is in no way weird.

I feel like he just played a random chord and went: "Yo that sounds cool, anyway..."

An awesome explanation regarding how the written notes are just a set of instructions, and the interpretation is left up to the musician turning that set of instructions into music.

I believe Paul's idea to follow the song melody gets you there. You can sing easily if you just play Am-E-C-D. So the second chord should be called E with some decorations and omissions in it.

Before I watch the video my Wise Publications transcription in their book of _Mothership_ says it's a Am(maj9)/G# and that makes complete sense. It's an inverted Am with a major 9th and a G# on the bottom which has to be written in because it's not in the scale. Not to mention the fact that that book is brilliantly transcribed by a professional (Arthur Dick). You can't change my mind.

Hi Paul, Firstly, I love watching your videos, they're amazing and so inspirational. I know you'll probably never see this, but I thought I'd try to let you know, in case you care, that at 2:46 when you say epitome, it's pronounced eh-pit-oh-mee in British English. I really enjoy watching your videos and learning a bit more of the theory behind the music in the songs I love, and learning to play along with you! Thanks for all the time you spend doing these videos and for the entertainment and knowledge that I get out of them! Stevyn

Loved the vid! You know how you guys have done a few collabs where you make Locrian sound good, etc? I think a "Write a song using the 'Stairway to Heaven chord' without sounding like Stairway" would be an interesting one!

looks like an A min Maj 9 to me, tho a slash chord would make more sense when you think of the context of what's being played in that song, ie a descending A to G#, so i'd agree with anyone who said A min 9/G#

With regard to communication of the "right" notation/naming within Ultimate Guitar or other transcription data bases, the most important thing is IMO, that the linked chord diagram shows the right chord pattern. Sadly there are so many unprecise or even wrong transcriptions in the Internet, which cost us hours of time learing wrong things and arguing about them during rehearsels. Please spread the message that man mankind can usually not reley on published transcriptions. Trust only you ears!

It’s a very common chord progression. Summer Rain by Johnny Rivers exemplifies that

C maj7#5( in bass)69. C E G# B, plus A and D. Relative major of Amin. From A harmonic minor.

"eh puh tomb" -- rather than rag you on that, it reminds me you are doing this all in a non native language. You rock. "e Pih toe me"

A two-chord backing track consisting of the Stairway chord, followed by the Hard Day's Night chord !!!!!!!!!!!!!

Context is A harmonic minor scale. Build on the third note of that scale (lll+7) also known as the mediant 7th chord you have C E G# B. They might of had Michelle by the Beatles and slowed it down almost half speed. The song opened up similarly with just a guitar with lowering chromatics but starting in F harmonic instead of A. Paul sings "I will say the only words i know that you'll understand" over this chord line about 4 times during the song. Stairway "cause you know sometimes words have two meanings" include the use of the lyrics "words", "know" , and "you" (you'll) from Michelle's lyrics during this section ("words" being the most important) , and also the first 3 melody notes coinside when paul sings it near the end in lower register . "I will say" "There's a lad" dy " there's a sign" Michelle goes even further into jaring tragic sound on the second chord during paul singing the melody diferently for the last time near the end of the song.

In my imagination, Page began with the descending chromatic line: xx755x, xx655x, xx555x, xx455x, xx355x to which he added G and Am strummed in their open string shapes. Then he dreamed up the contrasting upper notes-ending up with this: xx7555, xx6557, xx5558, x9777x, xx3210, plus G and Am strummed. Voilà! He probably wasn't thinking about chord nomenclature.

To me it definitely has the feeling of going to the V chord (E maj). If you play a first inversion E chord, it has all the right notes, except the C note. You can't call that C note a raised 5th, because the chord already has a fifth (the high B). But another name for the C note in this context would be a flat 6th. So, to me the best name for the chord is E (b6).

To me, the chord is clearly a V in first inversion, and the C note can either be seen as a sustained note from the previous chord or as an appoggiatura that resolves to B (an octave higher, in this case). But, if I had to analyze the chord considering the C note as a part of it, I would say it is E/G# with an added minor 6th (C).

Interesting and very entertaining video. Three YT music-heavyweights spend an afternoon figuring out the name of a chord. Reminds me of my band-mates and I back in the 70s spending days getting 'Stairway' figured out then after running it down once - looking at each other and saying...let's try another Kiss tune.

I see two possibilities: 1. It's a 1st inversion E major chord and the C is a suspension from the previous chord and an anticipation of the next, or a pedal tone. 2. It's a 1st inversion E augmented chord and that pesky B natural at the top is only a passing tone. What a fascinating discussion!

Rick quickly pointed out that the passage is a "line cliche" but at that time this particular chord itself was also very much a cliche. It can be heard in every scify/mystery TV show of that period and many other songs. It's not the chord that made the song great it's the evolution of the entire passage as comparisons to Taurus/spirit clearly show. In 1971 that passage grabbed you. It was fresh, pertinent, and dark in spite of that chord, because of everything else going on around it in the song.

In the context of an A minor descending line cliché, I'd call it Am Maj7 (9)/G#. In the context of the dominant following the Am, I'd call it E (b13)/G#, or perhaps even E (b6)/G#.

How is an arpeggio a chord? The notes are being played one at a time. We don't usually assign a chord name to a segment of single played notes. Kinda like saying, "what's the chords in the intro of 'Spirit of Radio'"? Did anyone think about the notes played on the recorder that layer over the top of the arpeggio in the second round of the progression? What "chord" is JPJ playing? Great discussion, though, and it was awesome to see Mr. Beato and Adam Neely make an appearance.

I'd never thought of it as a chord. The strings aren't ever strummed. Arpeggio. More part of the melody. 'One goes down, one goes up'. That's how I fathomed it out many many years ago.

I'm sure Jimi Page never asked himself which chord was this when he put it in the intro....

There is also the song called, "A Song For You", by Ray Charles that carries much the same verse tune as "Stairway To Heaven", by Led Zepplelin. I play the Day Charles tune in Hm ! ! ! A beautiful song, RIP Ray Charles ! ! ! 👍😎🎸🤘🙏🌹 DDH 5-11-2021.

Cmaj7#5... Or E+(g#) It is functional harmony.. Am-E7, tonal into dominat

When I run into something like this I simplify the chords to tritone chords and listen to what sounds best. So in this case for me Am-E-C-D-F is the simplified version. So that would make the second chord a Eflat13/G#

"Am+9/G#" It is really an "Ammaj7+9" chord, but the emphasis is on the descending bass, so it should be written as "Am+9/G#" with the G# making it a major 7th chord.

Anyone else think this was Paul's clever way of playing the forbidden riff without being stopped. Music Is Win is jealous he didn't think of it first. Like if you agree.

For me it's CMaj7+5/G# or basically CMaj7+5 inverted

This is the stuff I never get tired of. Well done

AKA the chord that when strummed the first two notes will have a Guitar Center employee's head spin and have you being dragged out of the store by your ear lobe....

The name of this eternal song is the key to general meaning and chords, it's a journey of soul to divine - the structure is triadic: the bass go down but at the same time the hig line go up, in every ancient exoteric mistery that's is "like in haven than in earth" (Paternoster, by Gesus) or Eraclitus "same way up and down" and latin proverb "per aspera ad astra" ecc.

I am confused about why this is mysterious. i see a minor major 7 with a 9 on top. minor major 9 is clunky to say-but if you accept that words are just a way of trying to map out relationships and function, then that's what it is in terms of the combination of notes. the line cliche that descends on the bottom has a counterpoint that ascends on the top, so it's more about contrary motion than conventional chord function. although the whole point of inserting a G# is to create an A harmonic minor feeling that implies both E7 and E7#5, which both are available within the scale.

According to what I know of chord theory, you can’t label it Eb13 for two reasons: 1) you can’t tell if it’s an E b13 or an Eb 13, and 2) numbers above 7 assume the dominant 7 structure (unless told otherwise) which gives you a D or a Db, bad note in both cases! You could call it an Eaddb13/G# or Ami9/G# (AmiMaj9 in third inversion) or G#aug, add#9, etc. Unless it’s written out, you don’t know the voicing even when you’re given the bass note. It does feel like you’re in A harmonic minor moving to the 5 chord. But the chromatic voice leading in the bass must be preserved. Bottom line: if you don’t have a good ear you should be an accountant...

There's really nothing mysterious about the chord. The tune is in the key of A minor. The baseline is chromatically descending from the Am root (8) to the Am fifth (5). It's A to G# to G to F# to F to E.The 1st chord is Am. Therefor the 2nd chord is just an Am(major7) -with a 'b' in the melody-, the 3rd chord is an Am(7) going to D/F# (the 6 of Am). Then to F(maj7) being the 'flat 6 of Am' and finally resolving in Am/E (the 5 of Am). Very common progression in classical music. As for every tune it was already there centuries ago ;-)

The chord on the thumbnail is an Augmented C7 in 2nd inversion, But the B is an octave higher.

"...a melody functions in a harmonic climate. The chord that is being played is the harmonic climate - if it's an augmented chord it's a mysterious climate; if it's a diminished chord it's a little tenser; if it's minor it's serious; if it's major it's happy; if it's major seventh you're falling in love; if it's augmented 11th it's bebop. You know these are all established harmonic aromas that people recognize whether they do it consciously or not, that's what's built into you. So a melody functions against a harmonic climate in terms of what is the fractional delay between the time that you hit a note that is tension to that chord, to the the time that you hit a note which is inside the chord which creates the resolution - that's how melodies work. How many notes are you playing in your line that rub against the chord versus how many notes are inside the chord that takes the tension to rest. Your ear is computing that, ok?" -- Frank Zappa

It’s called the ‘Bond’ chord- minor9add#7 (see: how Radiohead wrote the perfect Bond theme)

Almost there with the G# Aug but instead of messing around with double sharps, call it Ab Aug add #9. Its all there.

Ab6#9 ? In any case, the scale which fits perfectly with this chord is A Melodic Minor.

Just jump to track 8 and love on the drums

A voicing doesn't define a chord necessarily. What happens with those first arpeggios is a simple Im - V7. Even you can justify the C+^, because it's the bIII+^ of A harmonic minor (whom only altered note is G#).

I believe it is a line cliche on A-, but JP decided to spice it up with contrary motion in the top voice. I doubt he was thinking he was playing a new chord. The whole section feels suspended and floaty, like there is no harmonic motion. I don't feel like we ever leave A- until we get to the B-. That said, C^/G# at least lets you know how to voice it even if you have never heard it before. From that perspective I think it is a more effective name than E+ or E#13/G#.

Stairway intro first 5 chords names | A minor | A Minor Major7,9 /G# | A minor,7 /G | D/F# | F major 7 |

I'm so confused with those name chords😂😂

Thanks for all the videos you are awesome!

Now I’ve heard there was a secret chord that Jimmy played, and it pleased the lord.

Probably someone already stated this: For everybody who knows some "harmony theorie" its clearly a dominant sound. So its called E with a raised 5 =Eaug. It is a very common chord, used by classical composers since 400 years and in numerous Pop songs. A Jazz musician knows it as a E7#5 (here played without the 7). To call it Aminor maj 9 is possible , but the chords function is not tonic! The function is clearly dominant. For all, who play by ear, it is, what it is .

Try analysing the intro to "Quiet Days" by John James and Peter Berryman from their album "SKY IN MY PIE." I would like to learn that intro but have no idea how it's played.With regard to that chord,a very wise man (400 BC) once said "there are already enough names."

With Beato ♡

Let's look at it note for note: We are in a minor: a-c-e-a. For a moment we leave the highest note out of sight so we have a-c-e. The dominant chord to a minor is e major: e-g#-b, in this case converted to g#-b-e. When we leave the second note where it was (on the c) and change it enharmonically (c -> b#) we get e augmented with the third in the bass: g#-b#-e. Now we re-add the formerly left out highest note, the high a, and together with the chord change (a minor -> e augmented over g#) we let it climb one step to the b: g#-b#-e-b. Here we are - this is the "stairway chord": g#-b#-e-b. Remember that g#-b#-e is e major augmented and that e major is the dominant chord to a minor, then you see that the added b is the fifth of e major. Not only is it the fifth, it is also the second tone of a diatonic tone progression in the highest notes of the chords (a-b-c) and so it literally urges to the next chord which is c major (c-e-g-c), the root's parallel. So we have the following chord progression: a minor - e major augmented over g# - c major - d major over f#. The tricky thing is that the "stairway chord" has no d in it, so it leaves out the 7 which is the characteristic note for a dominant chord, and thus this chord isn't immediately reckognizable as the dominant chord to a minor. BUT: Things come to an obvious conclusion when you do not just look at the notes but listen to the intro: It starts with a simple arpeggio picking in eighths: a-c-e-a (a minor) then g# and b together. On the sixth eigth note of the bar we have the note e, and together with the g# and the b it becomes a straight e major chord. One eigth note later: b#. Voilà, the augmentation! E major augmented over g#. QED! I tell you what: Forget about everything I just wrote and simply enjoy the music! Don't analyze it to death!

C-7(no5)/G# is easiest to read, E(b13)/G# is the most correct one from the functional standpoint.

The funny thing is that LZ probably didn’t spend all this time caring about what chords they were playing. They just wrote the song and it “felt” right. Music is structure but it’s the ultimate in revolution - you as the writer can do whatever you want and it’ll be like by someone...eventually. LOL

I think you are right. It is an E chord. I would call it E (b6)/G#. It is not augmented because it has a 5th. It is not a flat 13 because it does not have a flat 7. It is definitely an E chord.

OK this is fun! My takes: E+ (add bb13) / G#. Yes that's a double flat. Or completely stupid: CMA7-5/G#. Or G#+ (add #9). I'm more with Adam in the sense, that it has the function of an E chord, but shouldn't we call it b6 instead of b13? Chord symbols are there to also communicate the way we want the performer to "structure" their chords. And yes, It's "normal in jazz harmony" (what an irritating thing to call it) for piano players to play the 13 in your left hand below the let's say 9th, and because of this "normal" I would always play the b13 in the upper structures. But it's fun! And Paul is an amazing facilitator of music theory.

The way i always thought about it was just Am with chromatic bass movement. It's really just about the voice leading tho. Top note going to next closest note. melody, same thing, bass same thing. It just makes sense in terms of voice leading i think. It's natural

I think Rick has it right. I think it's an AmMaj9 pertaining to A harmonic minor as opposed to A melodic minor, because the 5th mode of A the harmonic minor scale fits over it (if you consider E as the root) which contains an F natural as opposed to an F#. Of course if you take G# as the root then it becomes AmMaj9/G# which puts the Maj7th in the bass. Interestingly, it also works with B as a bass note which gives us three notes that work as a bass note E, G# and B, oh hold on that's an E Maj triad, which is why I think your other mate is on the right track by thinking of it as a 5 chord which would be E7 in A harmonic minor. So it's a sub for a 5 chord in A harmonic minor. However I think it's good to steer away from naming it E b13 as that would take us toward thinking of an extended dominant chord and it doesn't sound good with the 7th included in the chord, and the chord quality definitely has the Min Maj sound which brings us back to AmMaj9. As mentioned by others there is nothing new about the progression. It's a very common device used in many songs. I think what possibly makes it unique in the context of the song is that Maj7 in the bass with the 9th on top, which gives it the correct sound for the song. Did I get any closer to naming it? But as mentioned by another I'm sure Jimmy was thinking contrary motion when he put it together. I've changed my mind. Now I think we could call it E b13. It's all a matter of inversion If you play on piano low to high E D G# C E B as a fast ascending arpeggio and hold the sustain pedal, it sounds great and gets the right sound to support the melody. So yes an altered E dominant chord is a possible way of viewing it. It probably still needs some special instruction though (on a chord chart) because if you play a standard E b13 shape it doesn't sound right. So maybe we should just call it the stairway chord as others have suggested or write it as notation or tab. That B on top is very important to the chord quality. I still think the best scale choice would be A harmonic minor starting and resolving on one of the chord tones.

Absolutely loved this video.

What about Ami - E+ but played on the guitar it sounds floating together, one tone wandering up and the baseline goes down, makes it cool Sounding,....

As always GREAT Job, now here'e your algorithm token!

A little "Summer Rain" (Johnny Rivers).

Cmaj7#5/G# such tension!

Call me nuts but hear me out! I like to view this chord as a harmonic minor function. a-c-e-a g#-c-e-b g-c-e-c 1 3 5 8 7 3 5 2 7 3 5 10 First chord sets up an Aminor tonality and gives us the two A notes to work with. In the second chord not only is the bass doing a cool chromatic descend to g# but the g# is also the 6th of B which is our leading tone! So we get a feeling of counterpart between the bass and the melody held together by the 3 and 5 of Aminor. The g# -c-e-b can be viewed as notes from the Aminor harmonic scale. (It’s pretty cool actually if you have the time do a recording or a loop of the second chord and play the A harmonic minor scale starting on the 7th degree which is g#. It’s like a Alt. Dombb7) Anyways great video as always keep up the great work and playing.

The test for me is play the chord you decide on in other positions. It should still sound "right". This is why the Cmaj7/G# doesn't sound right to me. The second and third chords sound like distinct chord changes. Not two variations of C.

I believe it’s acting as a minmaj9 with the maj7 in the bass (it’s more of a classical bass and melody movement to be honest though G# and B to form a G#m dyad, leading chromatically and nicely to the dyad between G and C which could be seen as a perfect 4th but in this instance it’s just an Am7 harmony really using only the minor 7 and minor 3rd which are the important notes apart from the root) just my thoughts any ways...

50 years later..I'm still TRYIN to lern?

Awesome video, thanks!

A minor major7, 9/G# Chord formula 7 3b, 5 9

It's simply a passing Am maj.7/9 without the root

To me the sequence sounds like chord substitutions for cycle of 4ths... Am E G D... So that second chord would be E+ without the root and 5th on top :D

Final answer: C augmented Major 7th (C E G# B)

I think page make melodic like it is dreamy, dreamy or that is sentimental in nature and those whose melodies and harmonies sound good and have no particular shape.

Just hearing these chords puts me in mind of old English medieval folk songs, like 'Greensleeves', allegedly written by Henry VIII. That is perhaps the reason that 'Stairway' resonates so much with its listeners.

Not really a mystery, it's A min/maj9 followed by an Amin7 as the 4th and 1st strings move in contrary motion.

This is very interesting. Thanks guys for the vid. I guess we can call it by different names but for me it’s within the context of Am. Our generation is lucky because Jimmy Page’s guitar riff was recorded and we can listen to it. Imagine if Bach tried to name all the chords in his composition to communicate his music to us…I think it’d be fair to assume that it’d take him forever. 😁

Much ado about nothing: this chord is the second measure of «My funny Valentine». A simple line cliché, no changes in harmonical structure, just a simple, easily recognisable contrapuntal movement. Remember: a line cliché will accept almost any melody note. Rick's denomination seems correct, but not for the right reasons, if you pardon me.

When in doubt, ask Rick Beato

AmMaj9 is most definitely the correct naming for it.

Bravo! Bellissimo video!

Oh my God my head just exploded!!!!

a lot of music is beautiful. why analyse it so much ,just enjoy listening.

IF u ever have a musical question just ask the man the myth the legend Rick Beato

It’s an AmM9. It’s a chromatic line through A minor.

Music drama BS a meets music drama BS b ... its so easy to understand any chord and put the root where you feel like duh. So if the ensemble has a dominant bass note you can make it that.

Let's make a video over- analyzing a chord in one song. Durrrr

I need to learn how chords and notes work. Not only fifth's... Comming from a guitar/piano player (how do I combine?)

Sounds like the last chord of the James Bond Theme to me.

The first 4 chords fit well together like a unique stairway. Maybe someday there will be feelings to describe complex chords rather than math and logic, which aren't as identifiable as human emotions yet imo.

heel leuk! I really enjoyed this!

It's called voice leading.

What a weird chord!

I suspect Jimmy Page didn't lose any sleep over the chord name. He more than likely thought "bass line goes down, treble line goes up; sounds cool!" - done.

I’m actually making a video about augmented chords at the moment in which I discuss Stairway! I describe the chord as “G#+ (#9)” 😉