Rihanna - Russian Roulette - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords Em, C, Am, D, B7, G, A/C# Difficulty already in its easiest key

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Em

Uh, Uh

    Em           C
Take a breath, take it deep
     Am           B7
Calm yourself, he says to me
     Em             C
If you play, you play for keeps
     Am           B7
Take the gun, and count to three
       Em        C
I'm sweating now, moving slow
      Am            B7
No time to think, my turn to go

          Em    C
And you can see my heart beating
D                 Am
You can see it through my chest
         Em               C
Said I'm terrified. but I'm not leaving
  D                   Am
I know that I must pass this test
B7            Em
So just pull the trigger

   Em          C
Say a prayer, to yourself
           Am             B7
He says close your eyes, sometimes it helps
      Em          C
And then I get, a scary thought
      Am              B7
That he's here, means he's never lost

          Em    C
And you can see my heart beating
D                 Am
You can see it through my chest
         Em               C
Said I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving
  D                   Am
I know that I must must pass this test
B7            C
So just pull the trigger

      G
As my life flashes before my eyes
   Am              Em        D
I'm wondering will I ever see another sunrise
C             A/C#
 So many won't get the chance to say goodbye
       D                         B7
But it's too late too pick up the value of my life

          Em    C
And you can see my heart beating
D                 Am
You can see it through my chest
         Em               C
Said I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving
  D                   Am
I know that I must must pass this test

          Em    C
And you can see my heart beating
D                 Am
You can see it through my chest
         Em               C
Said I'm terrified, but I'm not leaving
  D                   Am
I know that I must must pass this test
B7             Em 
So just pull the trigger

End of song Play again?

Rihanna - Russian Roulette Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Rihanna – Russian Roulette: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Em and ends on Em. Its chords belong to both C major and Am, so every chord below is read both ways.

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)

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 C is heard 15 times against 14 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.

Seen from C major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	C	Tonic — home	C · E · G	15×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	—
V/V	D	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	10×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	17×
V/vi	E	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B	—
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	—
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	1×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	14×
V/ii	A/C#	Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	1×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—
V7/iii	B7	Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	9×

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	14×
V/iv	A/C#	Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Dmsecondary dominant	A · C# · E	1×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
V7/v	B7	Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Emsecondary dominant	B · D# · F# · A	9×
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	15×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	—
IV	D	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A	10×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	17×
V	E	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B	—
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	—
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	1×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 7 different chords appear 67 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. D, B7, A/C# act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.

Chord movement

B7 Em CV7/iii → iiisecondary resolution AmV7/v → v ×8
G Am CV → videceptive cadence AmVII → iAeolian arrival ×1

The move to watch is B7 → Em, heard 8 times. From the C side it reads V7/iii → iii (secondary resolution: B7 resolves a fourth up to Em); from the Am side it is V7/v → v. 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 Em, land on E, G, B — 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

The song is already written in its easiest key for guitar.

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Em, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. Em, C, Am, D carry the song: iii–I–vi–V/V relative to C, v–III–i–IV relative to Am. D adds a moment of surprise: secondary dominant V/V — leads to G. Keep an ear on B7 → Em (V7/iii → iii in C, V7/v → v in Am): secondary resolution — B7 resolves a fourth up to Em. The final chord is Em; the ear comes to rest in C.

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.