Major view
D major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = C# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = G (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Tina Turner - Proud Mary - Chord
Key D major – B minor Chords D, A, C, G, F, Bm, B, Gb … Easy key A (capo 5)
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Key: D | Bm
Capo: 0
D
Left a good job in the city,
Workin for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleepin'
Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been
A Bm G
Big wheel a keep on turnin' Proud Mary keep on burnin'
D
And we're rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
D
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
Pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
Till I hitched a ride on a river boat queen
A Bm G
Big wheels keep on turnin, Proud Mary keep on burnin
D
And we're rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
G D G D G D
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river, the river, the river, the river
D
Left a good job in the city
Workin for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleepin
Worryin' 'bout the way things might have been
A Bm G
Big wheel a keep on turnin' Proud Mary keep on burnin'
D
And we're rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
D
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
Give up dup dup dup, dup dup dup dup, dup dup dup dup
C C A C C A C C A G F F F F G
D
Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
till I hitched a ride on a river boat queen
A Bm G
Big wheels keep on turnin, Proud Mary keep on burnin
D
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
Give up dup dup dup, dup dup dup dup, dup dup dup dup
C C A C C A C C A G F F F F G
D A B D
So if you come down to the river
A B D
Bet you're gonna find some people who live,
A B D A B D
You don't have to worry, if you have no money
Gb G Ab
People on the river are happy to give.
A Bm G
Big wheel a keep on turnin' Proud Mary keep on burnin'
D
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
Give up dup dup dup, dup dup dup dup, dup dup dup dup
C C A C C A C C A G F F F F G
D
Rollin', rollin', rollin' on the river
End of song Play again?
Tina Turner - Proud Mary Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Tina Turner – Proud Mary: key and chord analysis
The song opens on D and ends on D. Its chords belong to both D major and Bm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
B minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = G (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = A (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = A# (harmonic-minor leading tone from the V chord)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the D major side because it both starts and finishes on D, D is heard 19 times against 5 for Bm and the major V chord points straight at Bm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from B minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to D or to Bm; 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | D | Tonic — home | D · F# · A | 19× |
| ii | Em | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | E · G · B | — |
| bIII | F | Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord | F · A · C | 12× |
| iii | F#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | F# · A · C# | — |
| V/vi | Gb | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | Gb · Bb · Db | 1× |
| IV | G | Subdominant — moves away from home | G · B · D | 15× |
| #IV | Ab | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · C · Eb | 1× |
| V | A | Dominant — strongest pull home | A · C# · E | 18× |
| vi | Bm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | B · D · F# | 5× |
| VI | B | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D# · F# | 4× |
| bVII | C | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | C · E · G | 18× |
| vii° | C#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | C# · E · G | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Bm | Tonic — home | B · D · F# | 5× |
| I | B | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | B · D# · F# | 4× |
| bII | C | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | C · E · G | 18× |
| ii° | C#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C# · E · G | — |
| III | D | Relative major — the bright side | D · F# · A | 19× |
| iv | Em | Subdominant — moves away from home | E · G · B | — |
| #IV | F | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | F · A · C | 12× |
| v | F#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | F# · A · C# | — |
| V | Gb | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | Gb · Bb · Db | 1× |
| VI | G | Submediant — warm colour | G · B · D | 15× |
| #VI | Ab | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | Ab · C · Eb | 1× |
| VII | A | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | A · C# · E | 18× |
Analysis
The key pair is D major and its relative B minor (2 sharps). 9 different chords appear 93 times in total; 4 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Bm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from D, the same Gb is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Bm. C, F are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- G D DIV → Iplagal cadence BmVI → III ×11
- A Bm DV → videceptive cadence BmVII → iAeolian arrival ×5
The move to watch is G → D, heard 11 times. From the D side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Bm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- D major pentatonic and B minor pentatonic are the same five notes (D – E – F# – A – B): start from D for a brighter phrase, from B for a bluesier one.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — 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.
- When Gb comes, swap the scale's A for A#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On C, follow the chord's notes (C · E · G) rather than the key's scale — it's a borrowed colour.
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 D major shapes
- No capo — open D shapes
- Capo 2 + C shapes
- Capo 5 + A shapes
With B minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Am shapes
- Capo 7 + Em shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on D, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. D, A, C, G carry the song: I–V–bVII–IV relative to D, III–VII–bII–VI relative to Bm. Gb is the interesting twist: in D it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Bm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on G → D (IV → I in D, VI → III in Bm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is D; the ear comes to rest in D.
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.
Tina Turner - Proud Mary Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano
Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.
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