Kenny Chesney - American Kids Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
How to play American Kids on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Kenny Chesney - American Kids 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.
American Kids uses these transitions most often: C → G (36), Em → Bm7 (30), and Bm7 → C (29). 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 - Bm7 chord transition.
1. Em → Bm7 chord transition
To move from Em to Bm7:
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
- Slide your ring finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 4.
- Place index finger on E string fret 2.
This transition appears in the verse, played 30 times.
2. Bm7 → C chord transition
To move from Bm7 to C:
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 4 and place it on A string fret 3.
This transition appears in the verse, played 29 times.
3. C → G chord transition
To move from C to G:
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
This transition appears in the verse, played 36 times.
4. G → Em chord transition
To move from G to Em:
- While playing G, lift your index finger from A string fret 2.
- Lift your middle finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
This transition appears in the verse, played 25 times.
5. G → Bm7 chord transition
Switching from G to Bm7:
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 4.
This transition appears in the chorus, played 11 times.
6. Em → C chord transition
Here's how to move from Em to C:
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
- Place index finger on B string fret 1.
This transition appears in the chorus, played 11 times.
7. Em → Cm chord transition
To move from Em to Cm:
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
- Place index finger on B string fret 1.
- Place pinky on E string fret 3.
This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.
American Kids chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in American Kids.
- American Kids includes 161 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- American Kids contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how American Kids connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
- Em → C: 26%
- Em → Bm7: 0%
After Bm7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are E7 (22%), C (11%), and A (11%).- Bm7 → C: 11%
- Bm7 → Em: 10%