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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.

James Arthur - Always Chords

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

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

CWell,Letmepaintyouapicture,Dintroducesomenon-fiction
EmAndyoucanwatchhowthetruthGunfolds,CandIwillwait’tilthemorning
DAndyoucantellmehownightmares,Emhowtheydon’tvisityouinyourdreams
AndasyouwalkGouttheBmdoor,youwilltellmethatI’mCright
AndIDwillaskyou,“justEmwhatfor?”AndyouwilltellmethatGtonight
ThatI’mtheonetokeepyouCwarm,andIwilllookatyouandDsmile
AndyouwilltellmethatI’mGeverything,Cthatyouwanted,
DThatyouneeded,Geverything,BmthatCyouwanted,
DThatyouneeded,Amandyoudon’twantmetogoaway
CBaby,I’mheretostay,Galways,Bmalways
CAndyourfriendscangotoHell,Difwhenyourback’sturned,
EmTheytwisttheknife,
Thelessonslearned,GnoneedtoholdtheBmburdenofthose
CGlancesoveryourDshoulder
EmDon’tyouletthemmakeyoufeellikeyou’reworthless
GYou’reworthmorethanBmanyone,CthatIhaveevermetbefore
DAndwhenIwatchyouI’minEmawe,andIamheretoGreassure
BmThatI’mtheonetokeepyouCwarm,andIwilllookatyourandDsmile
AndIwilltellyouthatyou’reGeverything,BmthatCIwanted,
ThatIneeded,Geverything,BmthatCIwanted,
ThatIneeded,AmandIdon’twantyoutogoaway
CBaby,Ihopethatyou’llstay,Galways
CIhopethatyou’llstay,Galways
CButIhopeyou’llstay,Galways
CAndIhopeyou’llstay,GalwaysBm
CDarling,youaresafe,noneedtorunDaway
GI’llprotectyouBmIswear,CeveryEmsingleday
ImadeapromiseICwon’tbreak,thatIwillDloveyoueveryday
GWitheverypieceBmofmysoul,Emeveryinchofmyheart
CAndIwillnotforgetthat,DIwillnotforgetthat
Ohmydarling,youareGeverything,BmthatCIwanted,
ThatIneeded,Geverything,BmthatCIwanted,
ThatIneeded,oh,Geverything,Cthatyouwanted,
Thatyouneeded,Geverything,BmthatCyouwanted,
Thatyouneeded,AmandIdon’twantyoutogoaway
CIhopeyou’reheretostay,Galways
CYou’reheretostay,Galways
CIhopeyou’reheretostay,Galways
C’CauseI’mheretostay,Galways
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.
ArtistJames Arthur
AlbumSins by the Sea
GenresPop
Year2011
KeyC
DifficultyIntermediate

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

James Arthur - Always on guitar requires 6 chords and 11 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.

Always uses these transitions most often: G → Bm (25), Bm → C (24), and C → G (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

Here's how to move 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 13 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 6 times.

D to Em

3. 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

Em to G

4. 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

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse.

G to C

5. G → Bm chord transition

To move from G to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 25 times.

6. Bm → C chord transition

Here's how to move from Bm to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 24 times.

7. D → G chord transition

To move from D to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 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.

9. 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 verse, played 3 times.

10. 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 verse.

11. Bm → Em chord transition

Switching from Bm to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

Always chord transition analysis

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

  • Always includes 105 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Always contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Always connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → D: 11%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → Bm: 4%
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.