Deep Purple - Smoke On the Water

How to play Deep Purple - Smoke On the Water by Deep Purple on guitar

This is a classic riff-based song that feels strong and direct under your fingers. It is a great beginner pick because the groove is easy to hear, and once you lock into it, the song feels powerful and familiar right away.

You can start with the open shapes G, C, and F, then be ready for the harder barre shapes Gm, Cm, G#, A#, B, and C#. The main change to watch is the move from G to Gm in the opening progression - that shift can catch you if you do not prepare your hand early.

First, practice the opening progression slowly and cleanly until the change feels automatic. Then loop the full chord shapes at a steady pulse, and only after that bring it up to song speed. Keep the rhythm even, and focus on smooth transitions more than speed at first.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.