Speak Like a Child by Herbie Hancock

Overview

Key: A minor · Chords used: 30 · Sections: 4

Form: A Section → B 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

A Section 1

• C♯7♯9 – G♯7♯9 – E9sus4 – Am7 – B♭13 – B♭aug7 – B♭m9 – E♭13 – A♭7sus4 – A♭7♭9 – G7♯9 – G♭maj7♯11 – G♭dim7 – E♭9sus4 – E♭13 – E♭m9 – D7♯9 – D♭7♯9 – C7 – Fmaj7 – B♭m9
  III7#9 – VII7#9 – V9sus4 – i7 – bII13 – bII+7 – bii9 – bV13 – bI7sus4 – bI7b9 – bVII7#9 – VImaj7#11 – vi°7 – bV9sus4 – bV13 – bv9 – IV7#9 – bIV7#9 – bIII7 – bVImaj7 – bii9
• Am9 – E9sus4 (×3)
  i9 – V9sus4

B Section 1

• C♯7♯9 – G♯7♯9 – E9sus4 – Am7♭5 – B♭13 – B♭aug7 – A7♯9 – A7♭9 – A♭13 – A♭7♭9 – G7♯9 – G♭maj7♯11 – G♭dim7 – Fm – D♭maj7♯5/F – G♭maj7♯11 – C/D♭ – B♭/C – C/B – B♭m7 – Am9
  III7#9 – VII7#9 – V9sus4 – iø7 – bII13 – bII+7 – I7#9 – I7b9 – bI13 – bI7b9 – bVII7#9 – VImaj7#11 – vi°7 – bvi – bIVmaj7#5 (bass F) – VImaj7#11 – bIII (bass D♭) – bII (bass C) – bIII (bass B) – bii7 – i9

A Section 2

• C♯7♯9 – G♯7♯9 – E9sus4 – Am7 – B♭13 – B♭aug7 – B♭m9 – E♭13 – A♭7sus4 – A♭7♭9 – G7♯9 – G♭maj7♯11 – G♭dim7 – E♭9sus4 – E♭13 – E♭m9 – D7♯9 – D♭7♯9 – C7 – Fmaj7 – B♭m9 – Am9 – E9sus4
  III7#9 – VII7#9 – V9sus4 – i7 – bII13 – bII+7 – bii9 – bV13 – bI7sus4 – bI7b9 – bVII7#9 – VImaj7#11 – vi°7 – bV9sus4 – bV13 – bv9 – IV7#9 – bIV7#9 – bIII7 – bVImaj7 – bii9 – i9 – V9sus4

B Section 2

• C♯7♯9 – G♯7♯9 – E9sus4 – Am7♭5 – B♭13 – B♭aug7 – A7♯9 – A7♭9 – A♭13 – A♭7♭9 – G7♯9 – G♭maj7♯11 – G♭dim7 – Fm – D♭maj7♯5/F – G♭maj7♯11 – C/D♭ – B♭/C – C/B – B♭m7 – Am9 – E9sus4
  III7#9 – VII7#9 – V9sus4 – iø7 – bII13 – bII+7 – I7#9 – I7b9 – bI13 – bI7b9 – bVII7#9 – VImaj7#11 – vi°7 – bvi – bIVmaj7#5 (bass F) – VImaj7#11 – bIII (bass D♭) – bII (bass C) – bIII (bass B) – bii7 – i9 – V9sus4

Chord vocabulary

Chord	Roman numeral	Role	Heard in
C♯7♯9	III7#9	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section
G♯7♯9	VII7#9	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section
E9sus4	V9sus4	Borrowed from A major	A Section, B Section
Am7	i7	Home chord (tonic)	A Section
B♭13	bII13	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section
B♭aug7	bII+7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section
B♭m9	bii9	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
E♭13	bV13	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
A♭7sus4	bI7sus4	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
A♭7♭9	bI7b9	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section
G7♯9	bVII7#9	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section
G♭maj7♯11	VImaj7#11	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section
G♭dim7	vi°7	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section, B Section
E♭9sus4	bV9sus4	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
E♭m9	bv9	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
D7♯9	IV7#9	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
D♭7♯9	bIV7#9	Outside the key (chromatic)	A Section
C7	bIII7	Secondary dominant (V/bVI)	A Section
Fmaj7	bVImaj7	In the key	A Section
Am9	i9	Home chord (tonic)	A Section, B Section
Am7♭5	iø7	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
A7♯9	I7#9	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
A7♭9	I7b9	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
A♭13	bI13	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
Fm	bvi	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
D♭maj7♯5/F	bIVmaj7#5 (bass F)	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
C/D♭	bIII (bass D♭)	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
B♭/C	bII (bass C)	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section
C/B	bIII (bass B)	In the key	B Section
B♭m7	bii7	Outside the key (chromatic)	B Section

Harmonic highlights

• E9sus4 (V9sus4) is borrowed from the parallel key, A major.
• C7 acts as V/bVI: it resolves to Fmaj7.

Sources & accuracy

• Chords: the iReal Pro forum charts archived in ChoCo (de Berardinis et al., 2023). Community chord chart “Speak Like A Child” (credited “Hancock Herbie”, style Bossa Nova) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer/songwriter confirmed from Wikidata.
• 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 “Speak Like A Child” (credited “Hancock Herbie”, style Bossa Nova) from the forum file linked here, CC BY 4.0 via ChoCo. Performer/songwriter confirmed from Wikidata. A separately posted chart of the same song; its chords match this page's closely when both are read in the same key (similarity 88%).
• 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.
• The chart's D.S./D.C./coda jumps have been written out in playing order.
• 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.
• 13 chords were simplified to the closest symbol our player supports (for example, an unusual added tone dropped).
• Rhythm and chord durations aren't shown; each step is one chord change.