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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.

Shawn Mendes - Air Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsEm, G, C, A, Cm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to C# key to play this song with easier chords.

  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar Cm chord diagram Fingering: x-3-1-0-1-3Guitar Cm chord diagram

[Opening]
[Em]Never [G]thought that we would [C]end up here, [Em]should’ve [G]known it from the [C]start
[Em]I know you [G]mean it when you [C]say you love me, [Em]but we’re [G]trying way too [C]hard
[Em]Used to [G]think that we would [C]last forever, [Em]how could [G]I’ve been so [C]wrong
[Em]Never [G]thought I’d be the [C]one to say this, [Em]but if our [G]time has come I’m [C]gone

[chorus]
[G]You, you don’t mean no [A]harm, but you’re stringing me [C]along
And, I don’t [Cm]have the time to [G]spare, and I, I’m trying hard to [A]breath
But you’re suffocating [C]me, this time I’m [Cm]coming up for [G]air
[Em]Air [G]Air Air [C]Air Air Air [Em]A A [G]Air Air A[C]ir Air Air

[verse 2]
[Em]Always [G]try’na put your [C]two cents in [Em]then [G]expecting me to [C]change
[Em]Tried to [G]fix me up but [C]I’m not broken, [Em]all [G]you do is leave me [C]stained
[Em]Told [G]you not to tie me [C]down too quickly, [Em]take it [G]slow it’s not a [C]race
[Em]And you [G]keep on tryna [C]reel me in, [Em]but all I [G]really need is space

[verse 3]
[G]You, you don’t mean no [A]harm, but you’re stringing me [C]along and

[verse 4]
I don’t [Cm]have the time to [G]spare, and I, I’m trying hard to [A]breath
But you’re suffocating [C]me, this time I’m [Cm]coming up for [G]air
[Em]Air [G]Air Air [C]Air Air Air [Em]A A [G]Air Air A[C]ir Air Air
[Em]Air [G]Air Air [C]Air Air Air [Em]A A [G]Air Air A[C]ir Air Air

[verse 5]
[G]Trying to h[C]old me down But[G]I’m surfac[C]ing
[G]It’s hard to [C]let you go, But [G]I gotta [C]leave

[chorus]
[G]You, you don’t mean no [A]harm, but you’re stringing me [C]along and
I don’t [Cm]have the time to [G]spare, and I, I’m trying hard to [A]breath
But you’re suffocating [C]me, this time I’m [Cm]coming up for [G]air

[chorus]
[G]You, you don’t mean no [A]harm, but you’re stringing me [C]along and
I don’t [Cm]have the time to [G]spare, and I, I’m trying hard to [A]breath
But you’re suffocating [C]me, this time I’m [Cm]coming up for [G]air

[Closing]
[Em]Air [G]Air Air [C]Air Air Air [Em]A A [G]Air Air A[C]ir Air Air
[Em]Air [G]Air Air [C]Air Air Air A A Air Air Air Air Air

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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.
ArtistShawn Mendes
AlbumHandwritten
GenresPop
Year2015
KeyEm

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

Shawn Mendes - Air on guitar requires 5 chords and 7 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.

Air uses these transitions most often: G → C (28), Em → G (25), and C → Em (21). 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 Em - G chord transition.

1. Em → G chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

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.
Em to G

2. G → C chord transition

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

To move from G to C;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 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 E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
G to C

3. C → Em chord transition

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

To move from C to Em;

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

4. G → A chord transition

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

To move from G to A;

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

5. A → C chord transition

To move from A to C;

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

6. C → Cm chord transition

To move from C to Cm;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 3.

7. Cm → G chord transition

To move from Cm to G;

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

Air chord transition analysis

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

  • Air includes 115 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Air contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Air 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 → C: 25%
    • G → Em: 9%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • 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.