PianoChords.studio

Master Blaster (Jammin') by Stevie Wonder

Piano chords, voicings & structure breakdown · 19 steps · 7 unique chords · 1980s

Intro 1Step 1 of 19

Am

LeftA2, E3RightC4, E4, A4
A2E3C4E4A4
Left hand Right hand Middle C (C4)

No source cited for this step

Harmonic Analysis & Structure

Overview

Key: A minor · Chords used: 7 · Sections: 5

Form: Intro → Intro → A Section → A Section → B Section

Where these chords come from: a chord chart of this song written by a musician and shared on the iReal Pro forums, archived in the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). It's one musician's reading of the song, not a transcription checked against the recording. This page shows that chart as-is: the analysis below is generated directly from it by code, not written by AI. Consecutive repeats of a chord are shown once, and the piano voicings are our playable arrangement of each chord symbol, not a note-for-note transcription.

Section by section

Intro 1

  • Am – G – F – Em – D – Am – G
    i – bVII – bVI – v – IV – i – bVII

Intro 2

Same chords as Intro 1.

A Section 1

  • Am – G – F – Em – D – Am – G
    i – bVII – bVI – v – IV – i – bVII

A Section 2

Same chords as A Section 1.

B Section

  • Am – E7 – D7 – E7 (×2)
    i – V7 – IV7 – V7
  • Am
    i

Chord vocabulary

ChordRoman numeralRoleHeard in
AmiHome chord (tonic)Intro, A Section, B Section
GbVIIIn the keyIntro, A Section
FbVIIn the keyIntro, A Section
EmvIn the keyIntro, A Section
DIVBorrowed from A majorIntro, A Section
E7V7In the keyB Section
D7IV7Outside the key (chromatic)B Section

Harmonic highlights

  • D (IV) is borrowed from the parallel key, A major.

Sources & accuracy

  • Chords: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “Master Blaster - Flinner” (credited “Wonder Stevie”, style RnB) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer confirmed from the Billboard year-end charts.
  • Section names: from the chart's own markings: section names written on the chart (Intro, Verse, Chorus…) are kept, and rehearsal letters are shown as “A Section”, “B Section” and so on (the B of an AABA song is called the Bridge).
  • Cross-check: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “Master Blaster” (credited “Wonder Stevie”, style Reggae) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer confirmed from the Billboard year-end charts. A separately posted chart of the same song; its chords match this page's closely when both are read in the same key (similarity 64%).
  • Chord charts are often written in a key that suits a particular singer or band, so this may not be the key of the original recording.
  • About the song: Wikipedia.
  • Verified: two community charts of this song, posted in different forum threads, agree on its harmony. They're still charts, not transcriptions checked against the recording.
  • Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.

Sources & Accuracy

Every chord on this page comes from the community chart listed first below. Piano voicings are our arrangement of the reported chord symbols, not a note-for-note transcription.

  • Chords from a chart a musician wrote and shared on the iReal Pro forums (archived in the ChoCo research dataset); may be in a different key from the recording, and not checked against it.

    Community chord chart “Master Blaster - Flinner” (credited “Wonder Stevie”, style RnB) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer confirmed from the Billboard year-end charts.

  • Chords from a chart a musician wrote and shared on the iReal Pro forums (archived in the ChoCo research dataset); may be in a different key from the recording, and not checked against it.

    Community chord chart “Master Blaster” (credited “Wonder Stevie”, style Reggae) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer confirmed from the Billboard year-end charts. A separately posted chart of the same song; its chords match this page's closely when both are read in the same key (similarity 64%).

All Piano Voicings

#SectionChordLeft handRight handSources
1Intro 1AmA2, E3C4, E4, A4—
2Intro 1GG2, D3B3, D4, G4—
3Intro 1FF2, C3C4, F4, A4—
4Intro 1EmE2, B2B3, E4, G4—
5Intro 1DD2, A2A3, D4, F♯4—
6Intro 1AmA2, E3A3, C4, E4—
7Intro 1GG2, D3G3, B3, D4—
8A Section 1AmA2, E3A3, C4, E4—
9A Section 1GG2, D3G3, B3, D4—
10A Section 1FF2, C3A3, C4, F4—
11A Section 1EmE2, B2G3, B3, E4—
12A Section 1DD2, A2F♯3, A3, D4—
13A Section 1AmA2, E3A3, C4, E4—
14A Section 1GG2, D3G3, B3, D4—
15B Section, part 1 (×2)AmA2, E3A3, C4, E4—
16B Section, part 1 (×2)E7E2, B2G♯3, B3, D4—
17B Section, part 1 (×2)D7D2, A2A3, C4, F♯4—
18B Section, part 1 (×2)E7E2, B2B3, D4, G♯4—
19B Section, part 2AmA2, E3C4, E4, A4—