Smoke on the Water

Smoke on the Water

Deep Purple

From the album

Smoke on the Water (1972)

Written by

Ritchie Blackmore, Ian Gillan, Roger Glover +2

Key:G minor

BPM:114

Duration:7:37

Listen to the Song

Summary

Originally released on the 1972 album Machine Head, this track chronicles a real-life fire at the Montreux Casino. It solidified Deep Purple's status as hard rock pioneers and remains a foundational staple of guitar culture.

Hard RockClassic RockHeavy MetalIconic Riff70s Rock

Musical Analysis

Smoke on the Water derives its harmonic power from extreme economy. The entire song is built on power chords, leaving major/minor quality ambiguous and letting the root motion carry all the harmonic weight. The i-bIII-IV riff exploits the natural minor scale's…

Structure:Intro-Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Bridge-Verse-Chorus-Outro

Chords

Verse:G5 - Bb5 - C5 - Db5

Chorus:C5 - Ab5 - G5

G5Bb5C5Db5Ab5

History

The song was written in the aftermath of a fire at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland during a Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention concert. Deep Purple was in Montreux to record their "Machine Head" album.

“The band initially intended to record in the Montreux Casino.”

📝 Lyrics

observational · urgent · resilient

Theme

The literal account of a disastrous fire and the band's struggle to record an album amidst the chaos.

Surface

The song documents the 1971 fire at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland, which burned down during a Frank Zappa concert while Deep Purple was in town to record their album 'Machine Head'.

Deeper meaning

Beyond the literal reportage, the song represents the resilience of the creative process. It highlights how art can emerge from destruction and how the 'rock and roll' lifestyle of the 1970s was often defined by improvising through technical and environmental catastrophes.

Symbols

Smoke on the waterThe Rolling Stones MobileFunky Claude

Full Musical Analysis

The song is based on a simple, blues-influenced chord progression centered around the G minor pentatonic scale. The main riff uses parallel fourths, creating a powerful and dissonant sound.

The song features a steady, mid-tempo rock rhythm in 4/4 time. The drums provide a solid foundation, while the bass guitar locks in with the iconic guitar riff.

The vocal melody is straightforward and bluesy, complementing the intensity of the guitar riff. Ian Gillan's vocals are powerful and clear, effectively conveying the story of the Montreux fire.

The song was written in the aftermath of a fire at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland during a Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention concert. Deep Purple was in Montreux to record their "Machine Head" album.

Originally released on the 1972 album Machine Head, this track chronicles a real-life fire at the Montreux Casino. It solidified Deep Purple's status as hard rock pioneers and remains a foundational staple of guitar culture.

Song DNA

Genre

Rock

Era

70s

Mood

Aggressive

Tempo

Mid-tempo

Key

Blues

Texture

Full Band

Sound

Guitar-driven

Feel

Straight

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🎸 rock 📅 1972 🔥 Most popular

Listen & Learn

Statistics

6.5M

Plays

1.2M

Listeners

100%

Popularity

7:37

Duration

114

BPM

4/4

Time

Credits

Written by

Ritchie BlackmoreIan GillanRoger GloverJon LordIan Paice

Produced by

Deep Purple

From the album Machine Head

Chord Sheet

Transpose0

Capo

Song Structure

Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Instrumental Break-Verse-Chorus-Outro

Chords Used

G minor

C

D

Chord Diagrams

Bb5

N/A

C5

N/A

Db5

N/A

Ab5

N/A

Sections

Intro (Riff)VerseChorusInstrumental BreakOutro

Chords G5 3 ✕ ✕ ✕ Bb5 N/A C5 N/A Db5 N/A Ab5 N/A G5 Bb5 C5 Db5 Ab5 Harmony Smoke on the Water derives its harmonic power from extreme economy. The entire song is built on power chords, leaving major/minor quality ambiguous and letting the root motion carry all the harmonic weight. The i-bIII-IV riff exploits the natural minor scale's most consonant intervals while the chromatic Db passing tone adds a fleeting dissonance that has become one of rock's most recognizable gestures. The chorus introduces the bII (Ab) as the song's most colorful harmony, a brief Phrygian darkness that resolves to the tonic and provides the only real harmonic contrast. The blues influence is evident in the pentatonic vocabulary and the bIII usage, but the Phrygian bII and the rigid power-chord parallelism push the harmony firmly into hard rock territory. Rhythm The song features a steady, mid-tempo rock rhythm in 4/4 time. The drums provide a solid foundation, while the bass guitar locks in with the iconic guitar riff. Groove: Hard Rock Melody The vocal melody is straightforward and bluesy, complementing the intensity of the guitar riff. Ian Gillan's vocals are powerful and clear, effectively conveying the story of the Montreux fire. Range: Approximately one octave Structure Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Instrumental Break-Verse-Chorus-Outro Intro (Riff) Verse Chorus Instrumental Break Outro 📝 Lyrics observational · urgent · resilient Theme The literal account of a disastrous fire and the band's struggle to record an album amidst the chaos. Surface The song documents the 1971 fire at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland, which burned down during a Frank Zappa concert while Deep Purple was in town to record their album 'Machine Head'. Deeper meaning Beyond the literal reportage, the song represents the resilience of the creative process. It highlights how art can emerge from destruction and how the 'rock and roll' lifestyle of the 1970s was often defined by improvising through technical and environmental catastrophes. Symbols Smoke on the water The Rolling Stones Mobile Funky Claude

Chord Diagrams G5 3 ✕ ✕ ✕ Bb5 N/A C5 N/A Db5 N/A Ab5 N/A Overall Difficulty 6/10 Guitar Difficulty: 6/10 The iconic riff is played with fourth-interval double stops, not power chordsEnsure the open G and D strings are played simultaneously and cleanlyDuring the solo, use aggressive vibrato and minor pentatonic shapes double-stop fourths finger plucking blues scale vibrato alternate picking Gear: Fender Stratocaster (bridge/middle pickup), Marshall Plexi or high-gain tube amp with mid-range boost Bass Difficulty: 4/10 Keep the eighth notes very steady and 'on top' of the beatThe bass line follows the G - Bb - C progression but adds a driving rhythmic foundation fingerstyle pizzicato eighth-note driving rhythms Drums Difficulty: 6/10 The hi-hat pattern in the intro is crucial for building tensionPractice the snare 'crack' to ensure it cuts through the heavy organ and guitar mix ghost notes syncopated snare hits fast tom fills Vocals Difficulty: 7/10 Focus on the storytelling in the verses; the delivery is almost conversational but powerfulSave your breath for the sustained notes in the chorus belting vocal grit chest voice sustained phrasing Keys Difficulty: 6/10 Use a Hammond B3 sound run through a distorted amplifier (like a Marshall) to get Jon Lord's signature 'growl'The keys often double the guitar riff or provide a thick harmonic pad using the G minor scale drawbar manipulation distorted organ chords percussive organ playing

Composition The song was written in the aftermath of a fire at the Montreux Casino in Switzerland during a Frank Zappa and The Mothers of Invention concert. Deep Purple was in Montreux to record their "Machine Head" album. Inspiration: The fire at the Montreux Casino, caused by a fan firing a flare gun, and the subsequent smoke drifting across Lake Geneva inspired the lyrics. Recording Studio: Grand Hôtel de Territet (initially), then later at the Pavillon, Montreux Producer: Deep Purple The band initially intended to record in the Montreux Casino. The iconic guitar riff was created by Ritchie Blackmore. The song was initially not a hit, but gained popularity through radio play and live performances. Cultural Context The song was released during the peak of the hard rock and early heavy metal movement in the early 1970s. Impact The song became a staple of rock radio and a defining anthem of the hard rock genre. It has inspired countless guitarists and bands. Legacy "Smoke on the Water" remains one of the most recognizable and influential rock songs of all time. It is frequently cited as an example of perfect hard rock songwriting. Blues Rock Early Heavy Metal Rock and Roll

Chord Sheet Transpose 0 Capo 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Auto-scroll Print Reset Song Structure Verse-Chorus-Verse-Chorus-Instrumental Break-Verse-Chorus-Outro Chords Used Hide functions G5 i T Bb5 bIII T C5 IV P Progression by Section Verse G5 i T Bb5 bIII C5 IV P G5 i T Bb5 bIII Db5 bV C5 IV P Chorus C5 IV P Ab5 bII G5 i T Chord Diagrams G5 3 ✕ ✕ ✕ Bb5 N/A C5 N/A Db5 N/A Ab5 N/A Sections Intro (Riff) Verse Chorus Instrumental Break Outro Harmony Analysis The song is based on a simple, blues-influenced chord progression centered around the G minor pentatonic scale. The main riff uses parallel fourths, creating a powerful and dissonant sound. Find Tabs & Chords Songsterr Search tabs Ultimate Guitar Chords & tabs Cifra Club Chords

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