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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.

Nat King Cole - The Ballad Of Cat Ballou Chords

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

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

CFG7C
CWellnowfriendsjustlendanearforyou’re
FnowabouttoCheartheFballadofCat CBallou
It’saEmsongthat’snewlymadeand DmProfessorSamTheShade
AndtheCSunriseAmKidareFsingingG7itforCyou
CCatBallouAmCat FBallouC
It’saAmhangingdayinCWolfCityWyomingWolfCityWyoming
FeighteenninetyCfour,they’regonnaGdropCatBallou
Throughthe GgallowsCfloorAmFG7C
SheAmkilledamaninCWolfCityWyomingWolfCityWyoming
Fkilledamanit’sCtrue
AndthatisGwhythey’reahanging
HangingCat CBallouFG7C
Shehasthe
CsmileofanangelAmfightslikethedevil
TheDmeyesofanG7angelDmbitesliketheG7devil
TheCfaceofanangelIAmsayshe’sthedevil
She’sDmmeanandG7evilthroughandCthrough
Cat G7BallouCat CBallou
She’sGmeanandevilthroughandCthroughCFG7C
WithherAmoutlawbandthey’reCnowtellingastory
NowtellingastoryFhowsherodetheCplain
ThewildestGgalinthewest
since GCalamityCJaneAmFG7C
And Amtoday’sthedaythatCshe’sgoingtoglory
She’sgoingtogloryFforthewaysheCsinned
They’llbeaGspeedinghersoul..
OnawaywardCwindC#C
Shehasthe
CsmileofanangelAmfightslikethedevil
TheDmeyesofanG7angelDmbitesliketheG7devil
TheCfaceofanangelIAmsayshe’sthedevil
She’sDmmeanandG7evilthroughandCthrough
Cat G7BallouCat CBallou
She’sGmeanandevilthroughandCthroughF.
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.
ArtistNat King Cole
AlbumCat Ballou Soundtrack
GenresJazz
Year1965
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play The Ballad Of Cat Ballou on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Nat King Cole - The Ballad Of Cat Ballou on guitar requires 8 chords and 12 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.

The Ballad Of Cat Ballou uses these transitions most often: G7 → C (13), C → Am (12), and C → F (10). 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 - F chord transition.

1. C → F chord transition

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

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 10 times.

C to F

2. F → G7 chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

To move from F to G7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

F to G7

3. G7 → C chord transition

Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from G7 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 1 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

G7 to C

4. C → Em chord transition

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

Switching 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.

C to Em

5. Em → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

6. Dm → C chord transition

To move 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.

7. C → Am chord transition

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 12 times.

8. Am → F chord transition

To move from Am 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. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

9. C → G chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

10. Am → Dm chord transition

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 chorus, played 4 times.

11. Dm → G7 chord transition

Switching from Dm to G7:

  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 1.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

12. C → C# chord transition

To move from C to C#:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

The Ballad Of Cat Ballou chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in The Ballad Of Cat Ballou.

  • The Ballad Of Cat Ballou includes 88 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • The Ballad Of Cat Ballou contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how The Ballad Of Cat Ballou 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 → F: 16%
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C: 69%
    • G7 → Dm: 3%
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.