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Don MacLean - American Pie Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, D, Em, Am, C, D7, A7
Strumming↓-↓↑

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

  • 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
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram
  • Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

[Opening]
A [G]long, [D]long [Em]time ago, [Am]I can still re[C]member how
That [Em]music used to [D]make me smile. [D7]
I [G]knew [D]if I [Em]had my chance that [Am]I could make those [C]people dance
and [Em]maybe they’d be [C]happy for a [D]while.
But [Em]February [Am]made me shiver, [Em]with every paper [Am]I’d deliver,
[C]Bad news [G]on the [Am]doorstep, I [C]couldn’t take one [D]more step.
I [G]can’t re[D]member [Em]if I cried when I [Am]read about his [D]widowed bride,
[G]Something [D]touched me [Em]deep inside, the [C]day, the [D7]music, [G]died.

[chorus]
So [G]Bye [C]bye, Miss A[G]merican [D]Pie,
drove my [G]chevy to the [C]levee but the [G]levee was [D]dry,
Them [G]good ole’ [C]boys were drinkin’ [G]whiskey and [D]rye, singin’
[Em]This’ll be the day that I [A7]die, [Em]this’ll be the day that I [D]die. [D7]

[verse 2]
[G]Did you write the [Am]book of love and do [C]you have faith in [Am]God above,
[Em]if the Bible [D]tells you so? [D7]
Now do [G]you be[D]lieve in [Em]rock and roll,
can [Am]music save your [C]mortal soul and
[Em]Can you teach me [A7]how to dance real [D]slow?
Well, I [Em]know that you’re in [D]love with him,
`cause I [Em]saw you dancing [D]in the gym.
You [C]both kicked [G]off your [A7]shoes, man I [C]dig those rhythm and [D7]blues.
I was a [G]lonely [D]teenage [Em]broncin’ buck
with a [Am]pink carnation and a [C]pick up truck,
but [G]I knew [D]I was [Em]out of luck the [C]day, the [D7]music, [G]died. [C] [G]

[chorus]
So [G]Bye [C]bye, Miss A[G]merican [D]Pie,
drove my [G]chevy to the [C]levee but the [G]levee was [D]dry,
Them [G]good ole’ [C]boys were drinkin’ [G]whiskey and [D]rye, singin’
[Em]This’ll be the day that I [A7]die, [Em]this’ll be the day that I [D]die. [D7]

[Closing]
[G]I met a [D]girl who [Em]sang the blues and I [Am]asked her for some [C]happy news,
but [Em]she just smiled and [D]turned away. [D7]
[G]I went [D]down to the [Em]sacred store where I [Am]heard the music [C]years before,
but the [Em]man there said the [C]music wouldn’t [D]play.
And [Em]in the streets the [Am]children screamed,
the [Em]lovers cried and the [Am]poets dreamed,
but [C]not a [G]word was [Am]spoken, the [C]church bells all were [D]broken.
And the [G]three men [D]I ad[Em]mire most, the [Am]Father, Son and the [D]Holy Ghost,
they [G]caught the [D]last train [Em]for the coast, the [C]day, the [Am]mu[D7]sic, [G]died.

[chorus]
[D]And they were singin’…
[G]Bye [C]bye, Miss A[G]merican [D]Pie,
drove my [G]chevy to the [C]levee but the [G]levee was [D]dry,
Them [G]good ole’ [C]boys were drinkin’ [G]whiskey and [D]rye, singin’
[C]This’ll be the [D]day that I [G]die [C] [G]

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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.
ArtistDon MacLean
AlbumAmerican Pie
GenresFolk, Folk Rock, Rock
Year1971
KeyG

How to play American Pie on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Don MacLean - American Pie on guitar requires 7 chords and 17 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 Pie uses these transitions most often: G → D (21), D → Em (17), and C → G (15). 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

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.
G 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.
D to Em

3. Em → Am chord transition

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

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.
Em to Am

4. Am → C chord transition

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

To move 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.
Am to C

5. C → Em chord transition

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.

6. D → D7 chord transition

To move from D to D7;

  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 G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 2.

7. D7 → G chord transition

To move from D7 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 G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.

8. C → D chord transition

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.

9. C → G chord transition

To move 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.

10. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am;

  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 G string fret 2.

11. Am → D chord transition

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.

12. C → D7 chord transition

To move from C to D7;

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

13. Em → A7 chord transition

To move from Em to A7;

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

14. A7 → D chord transition

To move from A7 to D;

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

15. G → A7 chord transition

To move from G to A7;

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

16. A7 → C chord transition

To move from A7 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 B string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

17. Am → D7 chord transition

To move from Am to D7;

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

American Pie chord transition analysis

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

  • American Pie includes 159 chord transitions, 17 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • American Pie contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how American Pie 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 → D: 24%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Em: 17%
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.