Major view
G major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = F# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = C (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Tina Turner - Private Dancer - Chord
Key G major – E minor Chords Em, D, C, Bm, G, Am7, F, F# … Easy key C (capo 7)
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Key: G | Em
Capo: 0
Em Bm C
All the men come in these places
Em Bm C D
And the men are all the same
Em Bm C
You don't look at their faces
Em D Am7
And you don't ask their names
Em Bm C
You don't think of them as human
Em Bm C D
You don't think of them at all
Em Bm C
You keep your mind on the money
Em D Am7
Keeping your eyes on the wall
G4 G
I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money
G Em D
I'll do what you want me to do
D F
I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money
F# C# C Em
And any old music will do
Em Bm C
I want to make a million dollars
Em Bm C D
I wanna live out by the sea
Em Bm C
Have a husband and some children
Em D Am7
Yeah, I guess I want a family
Em Bm C
All the men come in these places
Em Bm C D
And the men are all the same
Em Bm C
You don't look at their faces
Em D Am7
And you don't ask their names
G4 G
I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money
G D
I'll do what you want me to do
D F
I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money
F# B Em D
And any old music will do
G
I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money
G D
I'll do what you want me to do
D F
I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money
F# C# C Em
And any old music will do
A7
Deutch marks or dollars
American Express will do nicely, thank you
Let me loosen up your collar
Gb B
Tell me, do you wanna see me do the shimmy again
Em
D G4 G
I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money
G Em D
I'll do what you want me to do
D F
I'm your private dancer, a dancer for money
F# B Em D
And any old music will do
End of song Play again?
Tina Turner - Private Dancer Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Tina Turner – Private Dancer: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Em and ends on D. Its chords belong to both G major and Em, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
E minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = C (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = D (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = D# (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 E minor side because it opens on Em, Em is heard 23 times against 11 for G and the major V chord points straight at Em. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from G major, and switching between the two views is exactly where the practice value lies.
Chord degrees: major and relative minor
Show the degrees above the chords — relative to G or to Em; 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 | G | Tonic — home | G · B · D | 8× |
| I | G4 | Tonic — home | G · B · D | 3× |
| ii7 | Am7 | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · E · G | 4× |
| V7/V | A7 | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Dsecondary dominant | A · C# · E · G | 1× |
| iii | Bm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | B · D · F# | 12× |
| V/vi | B | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Emsecondary dominant | B · D# · F# | 3× |
| IV | C | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · E · G | 14× |
| #IV | C# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E# · G# | 2× |
| V | D | Dominant — strongest pull home | D · F# · A | 19× |
| vi | Em | Relative minor — the melancholy side | E · G · B | 23× |
| bVII | F | bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord | F · A · C | 4× |
| vii° | F#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | F# · A · C | — |
| V/iii | F# | Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# | 4× |
| V/iii | Gb | Secondary dominant V/iii — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | Gb · Bb · Db | 1× |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Em | Tonic — home | E · G · B | 23× |
| bII | F | Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord | F · A · C | 4× |
| ii° | F#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | F# · A · C | — |
| V/v | F# | Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | F# · A# · C# | 4× |
| V/v | Gb | Secondary dominant V/v — leads to Bmsecondary dominant | Gb · Bb · Db | 1× |
| III | G | Relative major — the bright side | G · B · D | 8× |
| III | G4 | Relative major — the bright side | G · B · D | 3× |
| iv7 | Am7 | Subdominant — moves away from home | A · C · E · G | 4× |
| IV7 | A7 | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | A · C# · E · G | 1× |
| v | Bm | Minor dominant — soft pull | B · D · F# | 12× |
| V | B | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | B · D# · F# | 3× |
| VI | C | Submediant — warm colour | C · E · G | 14× |
| #VI | C# | Chromatic colour chordoutside the key | C# · E# · G# | 2× |
| VII | D | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | D · F# · A | 19× |
Analysis
The key pair is G major and its relative E minor (1 sharp). 13 different chords appear 98 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Em brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from G, the same B is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Em. F#, A7, Gb act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. F is borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.
Chord movement
- C Em GIV → vi EmVI → iVI → i ×10
- D Em GV → videceptive cadence EmVII → iAeolian arrival ×4
- C D GIV → VIV → V EmVI → VIIVI → VII ×4
- B Em GV/vi → vi EmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×3
- Am7 Em Gii7 → vi Emiv7 → iminor plagal ×2
- D G GV → Iauthentic cadence EmVII → III ×1
The move to watch is C → Em, heard 10 times. From the Em side it is VI → i (VI → i: falls a half step into home); from the G side it reads IV → vi. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- G major pentatonic and E minor pentatonic are the same five notes (G – A – B – D – E): start from G for a brighter phrase, from E for a bluesier one.
- Over Em, land on E, G, B — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — 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 B comes, swap the scale's D for D#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
- On F, follow the chord's notes (F · A · C) 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 G major shapes
- No capo — open G shapes
- Capo 3 + E shapes
- Capo 5 + D shapes
With E minor shapes
- No capo — open Em shapes
- Capo 2 + Dm shapes
- Capo 7 + Am shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 5 semitones up · capo 7 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is Em; the ear learns where home is within a second. The chords that keep coming back are Em, D, C, Bm; read them as vi–V–IV–iii in G or i–VII–VI–v in Em. F# is the interesting twist: in G it is a chromatic chord (V/iii), while in Em it becomes the dominant (V/v) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on C → Em (IV → vi in G, VI → i in Em): VI → i — falls a half step into home. The final chord is D; the ear comes to rest in G.
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 - Private Dancer 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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