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)
Deep Purple - Soldier Of Fortune - Chord
Key Bb major – G minor Chords Gm, F, Dm, Bb, C, Eb, Cm, D … Easy key C
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Key: Bb | Gm
Capo: 0
Gm Dm C Gm
Gm
I have often told you stories
F
About the way
Gm
I lived the life of a drifter
Dm
waiting for the day
Gm
When I'd take your hand and sing you songs
F
Then maybe you would say
Gm
Come lay with me and love me
Dm
And I would surely stay
Bb C Gm
But I feel I'm growing older
Eb F Bb
And the songs that I have sung
D Gm
Echo in the distance
F
Like the sound
Bb Eb
Of a windmill going round
Cm Dm
Guess I'll always be
Gm
A soldier of fortune.
Solo
Gm C Gm C
Gm Bb C Gm
Gm
Many times I've been a traveller
F
I looked for something new
Gm
In days of old when nights were cold
Dm
I wandered without you
Gm
But those days I thought my eyes
F
Had seen you standing near
Gm
Though blindness is confusing
Dm
It shows that you're not here.
Bb C Gm
But I feel I'm growing older
Eb F Bb
And the songs that I have sung
D Gm
Echo in the distance
F
Like the sound
Bb Eb
Of a windmill going round
Cm Dm
Guess I'll always be
Gm
A soldier of fortune.
Gm F
Yes, I can hear the sound
Bb Eb
of a windmill going round
Cm Dm
I guess I'll always be
Gm
a soldier of fortune.
Eb Dm7
I guess I'll always be
G
a soldier of fortune.
End of song Play again?
Deep Purple - Soldier Of Fortune Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Deep Purple – Soldier Of Fortune: key and chord analysis
The song opens on Gm and ends on G. Its chords belong to both Bb major and Gm, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
G minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = Eb (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = F (natural-minor colour)
- #7 = F# (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 G minor side because it opens on Gm, Gm is heard 22 times against 8 for Bb and the major V chord points straight at Gm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — the same chords are just as valid seen from Bb 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 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | Bb | Tonic — home | Bb · D · F | 8× |
| ii | Cm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | C · Eb · G | 3× |
| V/V | C | Secondary dominant V/V — leads to Fsecondary dominant | C · E · G | 6× |
| iii | Dm | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D · F · A | 8× |
| iii7 | Dm7 | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | D · F · A · C | 1× |
| V/vi | D | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Gmsecondary dominant | D · F# · A | 2× |
| IV | Eb | Subdominant — moves away from home | Eb · G · Bb | 6× |
| V | F | Dominant — strongest pull home | F · A · C | 9× |
| vi | Gm | Relative minor — the melancholy side | G · Bb · D | 22× |
| V/ii | G | Secondary dominant V/ii — leads to Cmsecondary dominant | G · B · D | 1× |
| vii° | Adim | Leading-tone chord — tension | A · C · Eb | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | Gm | Tonic — home | G · Bb · D | 22× |
| V/iv | G | Secondary dominant V/iv — leads to Cmsecondary dominant | G · B · D | 1× |
| ii° | Adim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | A · C · Eb | — |
| III | Bb | Relative major — the bright side | Bb · D · F | 8× |
| iv | Cm | Subdominant — moves away from home | C · Eb · G | 3× |
| IV | C | Major IV — Dorian / melodic-minor colourmodal colour | C · E · G | 6× |
| v | Dm | Minor dominant — soft pull | D · F · A | 8× |
| v7 | Dm7 | Minor dominant — soft pull | D · F · A · C | 1× |
| V | D | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | D · F# · A | 2× |
| VI | Eb | Submediant — warm colour | Eb · G · Bb | 6× |
| VII | F | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | F · A · C | 9× |
Analysis
The key pair is Bb major and its relative G minor (2 flats). 10 different chords appear 66 times in total; 7 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. The major V of Gm brings the harmonic-minor leading tone, giving the minor side a sharper, more dramatic pull; seen from Bb, the same D is V/vi, a secondary dominant heading for Gm. C, G act as secondary dominants, briefly pointing at another chord of the key.
Chord movement
- F Bb BbV → Iauthentic cadence GmVII → III ×5
- Dm Gm Bbiii → vi Gmv → inatural-minor cadence ×5
- F Gm BbV → videceptive cadence GmVII → iAeolian arrival ×4
- D Gm BbV/vi → vi GmV → iharmonic-minor cadence ×2
- Eb F BbIV → VIV → V GmVI → VIIVI → VII ×2
The move to watch is F → Bb, heard 5 times. From the Gm side it is VII → III; from the Bb side it reads V → I (authentic cadence: the strongest arrival home). 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 Gm, land on G, Bb, D — 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 Dm, land on D, F, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- When D comes, swap the scale's F for F#: that single note is the harmonic-minor sound of the chord.
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
- 2 semitones up
- 3 semitones down · capo 3 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
Starting on Gm, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Gm, F, Dm, Bb; read them as vi–V–iii–I in Bb or i–VII–v–III in Gm. D is the interesting twist: in Bb it is a chromatic chord (V/vi), while in Gm it becomes the dominant (V) that makes the minor side sound so determined. Keep an ear on F → Bb (V → I in Bb, VII → III in Gm): authentic cadence — the strongest arrival home. Ending on G, the song seals Bb as home.
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.
Deep Purple - Soldier Of Fortune 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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