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14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Britney Spears - 3 Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, D, Em, B, E, Am
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

CDEmCB
Em1,2,3,notonlyyouandme,gotoneeightydegrees
AndI’mDcaughtinCbetween
Em1,2,3,PeterPaul&Mary
Gettingdownwith3P,Deverybodyloves,Cohhh!!!!
EmDCEmDC
EBabepickanight,tocomeoutandplay,ifit’salright
WhatDdoAmyousay?EMerrierthemore,triplefunthatway
Twisteronthefloor,whatDdoAmyousay?
CAreDyouEmin,ClivinginsinistheDnewEmthing(yeah)
CAreDyouEmin,CIBamcounting!
Em1,2,3,notonlyyouandme,gotoneeightydegrees
AndI’mDcaughtinCbetween
Em1,2,3,notonlyyouandme,gotoneeightydegrees
AndI’mDcaughtinCbetween
EThreeisacharm,twoisnotthesame,Idon’tseetheharm
SoDareAmyougame?ELet’smakeateam,makethemsaymyname
Lovingtheextreme,nowDareyouwithAmthegame?
CAreDyouEmin,ClivinginsinistheDnewEmthing(yeah)
CAreDyouEmin,CIBamcounting!
Em1,2,3,notonlyyouandme,gotoneeightydegrees
AndI’mDcaughtinCbetween
Em1,2,3,notonlyyouandme,gotoneeightydegrees
AndI’mDcaughtinCbetween
CWhatDwedoEmisinnocent,CjustDforfunEmandnothingmeant
CIfyouDdon’tlikeEmthecompany,Clet’sDjustdoit
EmyouandCme,DyouEmandCmeDEm
OrCthreeDorEmfourCOnDtheEmfloor
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistBritney Spears
AlbumThe Singles Collection
GenresPop, Electronic
Year2009
KeyC
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play 3 on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Britney Spears - 3 on guitar requires 6 chords and 10 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

3 uses these transitions most often: C → D (15), D → Em (15), and Em → C (14). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with C - D chord transition.

1. C → D chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

Switching from C to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 15 times.

C to D

2. D → Em chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from D to Em:

  1. While playing D, lift your index finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Lift your middle finger from E string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from B string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 15 times.

D to Em

3. Em → C chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Here's how to move from Em to C:

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  2. Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse, played 14 times.

Em to C

4. C → B chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar B chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar B chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to B:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 4.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 4.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 4.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

C to B

5. B → Em chord transition

Switching from B to Em:

  1. While playing B, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D string fret 4 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from G string fret 4 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

6. C → E chord transition

Here's how to move from C to E:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

7. E → D chord transition

To move from E to D:

  1. Slide your index finger on G string from fret 1 to fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from D string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

8. D → Am chord transition

Here's how to move from D to Am:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

9. Am → E chord transition

To move from Am to E:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

10. Am → C chord transition

Switching from Am to C:

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

3 chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in 3.

  • 3 includes 86 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • 3 contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how 3 connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → Em: 17%
    • D → C: 14%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → D: 11%
    • C → Em: 8%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.