Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
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.

Eric Clapton - Autumn Leaves Chords

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

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

Dm
DmThefallingGmleaves
CDriftbymyAmwindowDm
ThefallingGmleaves
OfCredandDmgold
DmIseeyourGmlips
CThesummerAmkissesDm
ThesunburnedGmhands
CIusedtoDmhold
DmSinceyouEwentaway
AmThedaysgrowDmlong
DmAndsoonI’llGmhear
COldwinter’sAmsongDm
ButIGmmissyou
MostofCall
MyAmDarlingDm
WhenautumnEleavesA
DBegintoDmfall
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.
ArtistEric Clapton
AlbumClapton
GenresBlues, Rock, Blues Rock
Year2010
KeyBm
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Autumn Leaves on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Eric Clapton - Autumn Leaves on guitar requires 7 chords and 10 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.

Autumn Leaves uses these transitions most often: Dm → Gm (6), Gm → C (6), and Am → Dm (5). 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 Dm - Gm chord transition.

1. Dm → Gm chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram

Switching from Dm to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

Dm to Gm

2. Gm → C chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Gm to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

Gm to C

3. C → Am chord transition

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

Here's how to move from C to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

C to Am

4. Am → Dm chord transition

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

Switching from Am to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

Am to Dm

5. C → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from C to Dm:

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

6. Dm → E chord transition

Switching from Dm to E:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

7. E → Am chord transition

Switching from E to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

8. E → A chord transition

Switching from E to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

9. A → D chord transition

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

This transition appears in the verse.

10. D → Dm chord transition

To move from D to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

Autumn Leaves chord transition analysis

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

  • Autumn Leaves includes 29 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Autumn Leaves contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Autumn Leaves connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → Gm: 5%
    • Dm → E: 1%
    After Gm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (15%), F (12%), and Dm (10%).
    • Gm → C: 15%
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.