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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.

Bob Dylan - Ballad Of A Thin Man Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, Ab, C, D, F, Dm, Em, G, G7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

AmYouwalkintotheroom
AbWithyourpencilinyourhand
CYouseesomebodynaked
AndDyousay,“Whoisthatman?”
FYoutrysohard
ButDmyoudon’tunderstand
CJustwhatyou’llEmsay
WhenyougetAmhome
CBecausesomethingisEmhappeninghere
AndyouAmdon’tknowwhatitCis,
FDoyou,MisterAmJones
AmYouraiseupyourhead
AbAndyouask,“Isthiswhereitis?”
CAndsomebodypointstoyouandsays
D“It’shis”
FAndyousay,“What’smine?”
AndsomebodyDmelsesays,“Wherewhatis?”
AndyouCsay,“OhmyGod
AmIEmhereallAmalone?”
CButsomethingisEmhappening
ButyouAmdon’tknowwhatitCis
FDoyou,MisterAmJones
AmYouhandinyourticket
AbAndyougowatchthegeek
CWhoimmediatelywalksuptoyou
DWhenhehearsyouspeak
FAndsays,“Howdoesitfeel
DmTobesuchafreak?”
Andyousay,C“Impossible”
AsheEmhandsyouaAmbone
CAndsomethingisEmhappeninghere
ButyouAmdon’tknowwhatitCis
FDoyou,MisterAmJones
AmYouhavemanycontacts
CAmongthelumberjacks
ToFgetyoufacts
WhensomeoneattacksyourAmimagination
AmButnobodyhasanyrespect
CAnywaytheyalreadyexpectyou
FTojustgiveacheck
ToDmtax-deductiblecharityGorganizationsG7
AmYou’vebeenwiththeprofessors
AbAndthey’vealllikedyourlooks
CWithgreatlawyersyouhave
DDiscussedlepersandcrooks
FYou’vebeenthroughallof
F.ScottDmFitzgerald’sbooks
CYou’reverywellEmread
It’swellAmknown
CButsomethingisEmhappeninghere
ButyouAmdon’tknowwhatitCis
FDoyou,MisterAmJones
Well,Amtheswordswallower,hecomesupto[Ab]you
AbAndthenhekneels
CHecrosseshimself
AndthenDheclickshishighheels
AndFwithoutfurthernotice
HeasksDmyouhowitfeels
Andhesays,C“HereisyourthroatEmback
ThanksfortheAmloan”
CAndyouknowsomethingisEmhappening
ButyouAmdon’tknowwhatitCis
FDoyou,MisterAmJones
AmNowyouseethisone-eyedmidget
AbShoutingtheword“NOW”
CAndyousay,“Forwhatreason?”
DAndhesays,“How?”
FAndyousay,“Whatdoesthismean?”
AndhescreamsDmback,“You’reacow
CGivemesomeEmmilk
OrelsegoAmhome”
CAndyouknowsomethingisEmhappening
ButyouAmdon’tknowwhatitCis
FDoyou,MisterAmJones
Well,youAmwalkintotheroom
AbLikeacamelandthenyoufrown
CYouputyoureyesinyourpocket
AndyourDnoseontheground
FThereoughttobealaw
DmAgainstyoucomingaround
YouCshouldbemade
ToEmwearAmearphones
C‘CausesomethingisEmhappening
ButyouAmdon’tknowwhatitCis
FDoyou,MisterAmJones
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.
ArtistBob Dylan
AlbumHighway 61 Revisited
GenresRock
Year1965
KeyAm
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Ballad Of A Thin Man on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Bob Dylan - Ballad Of A Thin Man on guitar requires 9 chords and 14 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.

Ballad Of A Thin Man uses these transitions most often: Am → C (16), C → Em (14), and Em → Am (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 Am - Ab chord transition.

1. Am → Ab chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar G# | A♭ chord diagram Fingering: 4-3-1-1-1-x Barre at fret 1.Guitar G# | A♭ chord diagram

To move from Am to Ab:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

Am to Ab

2. Ab → C chord transition

Guitar G# | A♭ chord diagram Fingering: 4-3-1-1-1-x Barre at fret 1.Guitar G# | A♭ chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Here's how to move from Ab to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

Ab to C

3. 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

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 7 times.

C to D

4. D → F chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from D to F:

  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. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

D to F

5. F → Dm chord transition

Switching from F to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

6. Dm → C chord transition

Switching from Dm to C:

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G 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 7 times.

7. 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, played 14 times.

8. Em → Am chord transition

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 14 times.

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 16 times.

10. C → F chord transition

Here's how to move from C to F:

  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. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

11. F → Am chord transition

Switching from F to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

12. Dm → G chord transition

Here's how to move from Dm to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from E 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. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

13. G → G7 chord transition

Here's how to move from G to G7:

  1. Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse.

14. G7 → Am chord transition

Here's how to move from G7 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 1 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse.

Ballad Of A Thin Man chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Ballad Of A Thin Man.

  • Ballad Of A Thin Man includes 107 chord transitions, 14 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Ballad Of A Thin Man contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Ballad Of A Thin Man connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → C: 16%
    • Am → Ab: 0%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → F: 16%
    • C → D: 11%
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.