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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.

Alessia Cara - Stay Chords

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

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

GWaitingforthetimetopassyouEmby,GhopethewindsofchangewillchangeyourDmind
CIcouldgiveaDthousandreasonsEmwhy,andIDknowyou,andyou’veCgotto
EmMakeitonyourownbutCwedon’thavetogrowup,DwecouldstayforeverEmyoung
EmLivingonmysofa,Cdrinkingrumandcola,CunderneaththerisingEmsun
CIcouldgiveaDthousandreasonsEmwhy,butyou’reDgoing,andyouCknowthat
DAllyouhavetoisCstay,Daminute
JustEmtakeyourDtime,theCclockisDticking,soEmstay
DAllyouhavetodoisCwait,Dasecond
EmYourhandsareDmine,CtheclockisDticking,soEmstay
GWon’tadmitwhatIalreadyEmknow,GI’veneverbeenthebestatlettingDgo
CIdon’twanttoDspendthenightEmalone,guessIDneedyou,andICneedto
EmMakeitonyourownbutCwedon’thavetogrowup,DwecouldstayforeverEmyoung
EmLivingonmysofa,Cdrinkingrumandcola,CunderneaththerisingEmsun
CIcouldgiveaDthousandreasonsEmwhy,butyou’reDgoing,andyouCknowthat
DAllyouhavetoisCstay,Daminute
JustEmtakeyourDtime,theCclockisDticking,soEmstay
DAllyouhavetodoisCwait,Dasecond
EmYourhandsareDmine,CtheclockisDticking,soEmstay
DAllyouhavetodoisCstay,Emsostay,Dyeah
DAllyouhavetoisCstay,Daminute
JustEmtakeyourDtime,theCclockisDticking,soEmstay
DAllyouhavetodoisCwait,Dasecond
EmYourhandsareDmine,CtheclockisDticking,soEmstay
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.
ArtistAlessia Cara
AlbumEverything, Everything (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)
GenresAlternative, Pop, Electronic
Year2017
KeyG
DifficultyEasy

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

Alessia Cara - Stay on guitar requires 4 chords and 5 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.

Stay uses these transitions most often: C → D (20), D → C (19), and D → Em (18). 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 - Em chord transition.

1. G → Em chord transition

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

To move from G to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

G to Em

2. 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

Switching 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 2 times.

G to D

3. D → C chord transition

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

To move from D to C:

  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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 19 times.

D to C

4. 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 18 times.

D to Em

5. C → Em chord transition

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 5 times.

Stay chord transition analysis

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

  • Stay includes 90 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Stay contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Stay 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 Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 26%
    • Em → G: 18%
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.