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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.

Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, D, C7, B7, Em, D#, Am, Bb, C
Strumming↓-↓↓↑

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

G”TheproblemisDallinsideyourC7head”,shesaidtoB7me,
Em”TheanswerisD#easyifyouC7takeit B7logically.
GI’dliketoDhelpyouinyourC7struggletobeB7free.
Theremustbe,EmfiftyAmwaystoleaveyourEmlover”
GShesaid:“It’sDreallynotmyC7habitto B7intrude,
EmFurthermoreIhopemyD#meaningwon’tbeC7lostor B7misconstrued,
ButI’ll Grepeatmyself,DattheC7riskofbeingB7crude.
Theremustbe,EmfiftyAmwaystoleaveyourEmlover
EmFiftyAmwaystoleaveyourEmlover”
YoujustslipouttheGbackJack,makeanewBbplanStan,
Youdon’tneedtobeCcoyRoy,justgetyourselfGfree
HopontheGbusGus,youdon’tneedto Bbdiscussmuch,
JustdropofftheCkeyLee,andgetyourselfGfree.
SlipouttheGbackJack,makeanewBbplanStan,
Youdon’tneedtobeCcoyRoy,youjustlistentoGme
HopontheGbusGus,youdon’tneedto Bbdiscussmuch,
JustdropofftheCkeyLee,andgetyourselfGfree.
GShesaid:“ItDgrievesmesotoC7seeyouinsuchB7pain.
IwishtherewasEmsomethingIcouldD#dotoC7makeyousmile B7again.”
Isaid:“I GappreciateDthatandC7wouldyouplease B7explain
Aboutthe,Emfiftyways”AmEm
GShesaid:“WhyDdon’twebothjustC7sleeponit B7tonight,
AndI EmbelievethatintheD#morningyou’ll C7begintoseetheB7light.”
ThensheGkissedmeandIDrealized,sheC7probablywasB7right,
TheremustbeEmfiftyAmwaystoleaveyourEmlover,
EmFiftyAmwaystoleaveyourEmlover
YoujustslipouttheGbackJack,makeanewBbplanStan,
Youdon’tneedtobeCcoyRoy,justgetyourselfGfree
HopontheGbusGus,youdon’tneedto Bbdiscussmuch,
JustdropofftheCkeyLee,andgetyourselfGfree.
SlipouttheGbackJack,makeanewBbplanStan,
Youdon’tneedtobeCcoyRoy,youjustlistentoGme
HopontheGbusGus,youdon’tneedto Bbdiscussmuch,
JustdropofftheCkeyLee,andgetyourselfGfree.
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.
ArtistPaul Simon
AlbumStill Crazy After All These Years
GenresPop
Year1975
KeyG
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Paul Simon - 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover on guitar requires 9 chords and 12 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.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover uses these transitions most often: C7 → B7 (12), B7 → Em (8), and Bb → C (8). 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 G - D chord transition.

1. G → D chord transition

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

Here's how to move from G to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

G to D

2. D → C7 chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

Switching from D to C7:

  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 A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

D to C7

3. C7 → B7 chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram

Switching from C7 to B7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

C7 to B7

4. B7 → Em chord transition

Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from B7 to Em:

  1. While playing B7, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Keep middle finger on 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 8 times.

B7 to Em

5. Em → D# chord transition

To move from Em to D#:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

6. D# → C7 chord transition

Switching from D# to C7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

7. B7 → G chord transition

To move from B7 to G:

  1. While playing B7, lift your pinky from E string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from D string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  4. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

8. Em → Am chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to Am:

  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 G string fret 2.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

9. Em → G chord transition

To move from Em to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

10. G → Bb chord transition

Switching from G to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 8 times.

11. Bb → C chord transition

To move from Bb to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 8 times.

12. C → G chord transition

Switching from C to G:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 8 times.

50 Ways to Leave Your Lover chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover.

  • 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover includes 88 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how 50 Ways to Leave Your Lover connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → Bb: 0%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → G: 18%
    • Em → Am: 12%
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.