Katy Perry - Roar - Chord

Key Bb major – G minor Chords Bb, Cm, Gm, Eb, F Easy key G (capo 3)

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Bb
I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath
Cm
Scared to rock the boat and make a mess
 Gm              Eb
So I sit quietly, agree politely
Bb
I guess that I forgot I had a choice
Cm
I let you push me past the breaking point
Gm                  Eb
I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything

Bb
You held me down but I got up (hey!)
Cm
Already brushing off the dust
Gm
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
 Eb
Like thunder gonna’ shake the ground

Bb
You held me down but I got up (hey!)
Cm
Get ready cos’ I’ve had enough
Gm
I see it all, I see it now

Eb                  Bb                  Cm
I got the eye of the ti  ger, a fighter, dancing through the fi  re
     Gm                     Eb                      Bb
Cos’ I am a champion, and you’re gonna’ hear me roar
       Cm                       Gm
Louder, louder than a lion, cos’ I am a champion
     Eb                       Bb  Cm    Gm
And you’re gonna’ hear me roar   (oh oh oh  oh)
Eb
You’re gonna’ hear me roar

 Bb                               Cm
Now I’m floating like a butterfly, stinging like a bee, I earned my stripe
Gm               Eb
I went from zero, to my own hero
Bb
You held me down but I got up (hey!)
Cm
Already brushing off the dust
Gm
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Eb
Like thunder gonna' shake the ground
Bb
You held me down but I got up (hey!)
Cm
Get ready cos’ I’ve had enough
Gm
I see it all, I see it now

Eb                   Bb                 Cm
I got the eye of the ti  ger, a fighter, dancing through the fi  re
    Gm               Eb                             Bb
Cos’ I am a champion, and you’re gonna’ hear me roar
        Cm                      Gm
Louder, louder than a lion, cos’ I am a champion
    Eb                       Bb  Cm       Gm
And you’re gonna’ hear me roar  (oh oh oh oh oh oh)
Eb                       Bb  Cm    Gm
You’re gonna’ hear me roar ( oh oh oh oh)
Eb                      Bb  Cm  Gm  F
You’re gonna’ hear me roar
F         F          F
Roar, roar, roar, roar, roaaaar

                       Bb               Cm
I got the eye of the ti  ger, a fighter, dancing through the fi  re
    Gm                    Eb                       Bb
Cos’ I am a champion, and you’re gonna’ hear me roar
       Cm                       Gm
Louder, louder than a lion, cos’ I am a champion
    Eb                       Bb  Cm    Gm
And you’re gonna’ hear me roar  (oh oh oh  oh)
Eb                         Bb
You’re gonna’ hear me roar

End of song Play again?

Katy Perry - Roar Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Katy Perry – Roar: key and chord analysis

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

Major view

Bb major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = A (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Eb (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

G minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = F (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Bb major side because it both starts and finishes on Bb and Bb is heard 19 times against 18 for Gm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from G minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Bb or to Gm; 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 Bb major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Bb	Tonic — home	Bb · D · F	19×
ii	Cm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	C · Eb · G	18×
iii	Dm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	D · F · A	—
V/vi	D	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant	D · F# · A	—
IV	Eb	Subdominant — moves away from home	Eb · G · Bb	17×
V	F	Dominant — strongest pull home	F · A · C	4×
vi	Gm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	G · Bb · D	18×
vii°	Adim	Leading-tone chord — tension	A · C · Eb	—

Seen from G minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Gm	Tonic — home	G · Bb · D	18×
ii°	Adim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	A · C · Eb	—
III	Bb	Relative major — the bright side	Bb · D · F	19×
iv	Cm	Subdominant — moves away from home	C · Eb · G	18×
v	Dm	Minor dominant — soft pull	D · F · A	—
V	D	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	D · F# · A	—
VI	Eb	Submediant — warm colour	Eb · G · Bb	17×
VII	F	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	F · A · C	4×

Analysis

The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 5 different chords appear 76 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.

Chord movement

Cm Gm Bbii → vi Gmiv → iminor plagal ×18
Eb Bb BbIV → Iplagal cadence GmVI → III ×17
F Bb BbV → Iauthentic cadence GmVII → III ×1

The move to watch is Cm → Gm, heard 18 times. From the Bb side it reads ii → vi; from the Gm side it is iv → i (minor plagal: deep and melancholic). Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Bb major pentatonic and G minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Bb – C – D – F – G): start from Bb for a brighter phrase, from G for a bluesier one.
Over Bb, land on Bb, D, F — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Cm, land on C, Eb, G — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Gm, land on G, Bb, D — 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 Bb major shapes

Capo 1 + A shapes
Capo 3 + G shapes
Capo 6 + E shapes

With G minor shapes

Capo 3 + Em shapes
Capo 5 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
2 semitones up

The song's harmonic story

The opening Bb lays a solid floor for everything that follows. Bb, Cm, Gm, Eb carry the song: I–ii–vi–IV relative to Bb, III–iv–i–VI relative to Gm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Cm → Gm (ii → vi in Bb, iv → i in Gm): minor plagal — deep and melancholic. It closes on Bb, letting the Bb 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.