Elton John - Tiny Dancer - Chord

Key C major – A minor Chords C, F, G, Am, Em, Dm, F/C, D7 … Easy key G (capo 5)

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Capo 0

C  F

C         F     C     F     C                   Am      G
Blue jean baby,  L.A. lady,  seamstress for the band
C      F     C      F      C                    Am      G
Pretty eyed, pirate smile,  you'll marry a music man
F      Em  Am             D7    F  E7           Am    G
Ballerina,  you must've seen her,   dancing in the sand
C         F     C        F       C                   G  F Em Dm
Now she's in me,  always with me,  tiny dancer in my hand

C  F/C  C  F/C

C     F       C           F      C                         Am    G
Jesus freaks,  out in the street,  handing tickets out for God
C       F     C         F       C                          Am    G
Turning back,  she just laughs,  the boulevard is not that bad
F     Em   Am              D7 F       E7    Am   G
Piano man,  he makes his stand,  in the auditorium
C       F   C              F      C                                  G  F Em Dm
Looking on,  she sings the songs,  the words she knows, the tune she hums

C  F/C  C  Dm/C  C

Ab              Bb
  But oh how it feels so real
Gm               Cm
Lying here, with no one near
       Ab                    Bb
Where only you, and you can hear me
              Bº     Dº
When I say: "softly, slowly"

F         C           Dm          Em
"Hold me closer Tiny Dancer"
F          C                  G
"Count the headlights on the highway"
F         C           Dm          Em
"Lay me down in sheets of linen"
F          C      G4
"You had a busy day today"

F         C           Dm          Em
"Hold me closer Tiny Dancer"
F          C                  G
"Count the headlights on the highway"
F         C           Dm          Em
"Lay me down in sheets of linen"
F          C      G4
"You had a busy day today"

End of song Play again?

Elton John - Tiny Dancer Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Elton John – Tiny Dancer: key and chord analysis

The song opens on C and ends on G4. 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)
#7 = G# (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 C major side because it opens on C, C is heard 32 times against 8 for Am and the major V chord points straight at 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	32×
i	Cm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G	1×
ii	Dm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	6×
ii	Dm/C	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	D · F · A	1×
V7/V	D7	Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Gsecondary dominant	D · F# · A · C	2×
iii	Em	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	E · G · B	8×
V7/vi	E7	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Amsecondary dominant	E · G# · B · D	2×
IV	F	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	27×
IV	F/C	Subdominant — moves away from home	F · A · C	3×
V	G	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	10×
V	G4	Dominant — strongest pull home	G · B · D	2×
v	Gm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D	1×
bVI	Ab	Borrowed from the parallel minorborrowed chord	Ab · C · Eb	2×
vi	Am	Relative minor — the melancholy side	A · C · E	8×
bVII	Bb	bVII — borrowed (Mixolydian / parallel minor)borrowed chord	Bb · D · F	2×
vii°	Bdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	B · D · F	—

Seen from A minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Am	Tonic — home	A · C · E	8×
bII	Bb	Neapolitan bII — a dark, dramatic colour a half step above the tonicborrowed chord	Bb · D · F	2×
ii°	Bdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	B · D · F	—
III	C	Relative major — the bright side	C · E · G	32×
iii	Cm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	C · Eb · G	1×
iv	Dm	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	6×
iv	Dm/C	Subdominant — moves away from home	D · F · A	1×
IV7	D7	Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour	D · F# · A · C	2×
v	Em	Minor dominant — soft pull	E · G · B	8×
V7	E7	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	E · G# · B · D	2×
VI	F	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	27×
VI	F/C	Submediant — warm colour	F · A · C	3×
VII	G	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	10×
VII	G4	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	G · B · D	2×
vii	Gm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	G · Bb · D	1×
#VII	Ab	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · C · Eb	2×

Analysis

The key pair is C major and its relative A minor (no sharps or flats). 15 different chords appear 107 times in total; 9 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Am brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from C, the same E7 is V7/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Am. D7 acts as a secondary dominant, briefly pointing at another chord of the key. Ab, Bb are borrowed from the parallel minor, adding a darker shade to the major side.

Chord movement

F C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×21
G C CV → Iauthentic cadence AmVII → III ×4
F/C C CIV → Iplagal cadence AmVI → III ×3
E7 Am CV7/vi → visecondary resolution AmV7 → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2
Em Am Ciii → vi Amv → inatural-minor cadence ×2

The move to watch is F → C, heard 21 times. From the C side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Am side it is VI → III. 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 C, land on C, E, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over F, land on F, A, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over G, land on G, B, D — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
When E7 comes, swap the scale's G for G#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
On Ab, follow the chord's notes (Ab · C · Eb) 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 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

5 semitones down · capo 5 keeps the original pitch
2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

Starting on C, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are C, F, G, Am; read them as I–IV–V–vi in C or III–VI–VII–i in Am. E7 is the interesting twist: in C it is a chromatic chord (V7/vi), while in Am it becomes the dominant (V7) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on F → C (IV → I in C, VI → III in Am): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on G4, letting the C side have the last word.

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.