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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.

James Taylor - Bartender’s Blues Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, Em7, G, G7, C, Am7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

DEm7D
Now,GI’mjusta G7bartender,andICdon’tlikemyAm7work.
ButIDdon’tmindthemoneyatGall.DIEm7see
GlotsofsadG7facesandClotsofbadAm7casesof
DfolkswiththeirbackstotheGwall.DButEm7IDneed
Gfourwalls G7aroundmetoCholdmyAm7life;
toDkeepmefromgoing Gastray;DandEm7a
Ghonky-tonkG7angeltoCholdmeAm7tight
toDkeepmefromslipping Gaway.DIEm7can
GlightupyourG7smokes.IcanClaughatyourAm7jokes.
IcanDwatchyoufalldownonyourGknees.DIEm7can
GclosedownthisG7bar.IcanCgasupmyAm7car.Ican
DpackupandmailintheGkey.DButEm7IDneed
Gfourwalls G7aroundmetoCholdmyAm7life;
toDkeepmefromgoing Gastray;DandEm7a
Ghonky-tonkG7angeltoCholdmeAm7tight
toDkeepmefromslipping Gaway.DNow,Em7the
GsmokefillstheG7airinthisChonky-tonkAm7bar,
andI’mDthinking’boutwhereI’dratherGbe.DButEm7I
GburnedallmyG7bridges;andICsankallAm7ships;andI’m
DstrandedattheedgeoftheGsea.DButEm7IDneed
Gfourwalls G7aroundmetoCholdmyAm7life;
toDkeepmefromgoing Gastray;DandEm7a
Ghonky-tonkG7angeltoCholdmeAm7tight
toDkeepmefromslipping Gaway.DandEm7a
Ghonky-tonkG7angeltoCholdmeAm7tight
toDkeepmefromslipping Caway.GAm7G
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.
ArtistJames Taylor
AlbumBartender's Blues
GenresCountry
Year1978
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Bartender's Blues on Guitar (Step-by-step)

James Taylor - Bartender's Blues on guitar requires 6 chords and 9 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.

Bartender's Blues uses these transitions most often: D → G (25), Am7 → D (13), and C → Am7 (13). 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 D - Em7 chord transition.

1. D → Em7 chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar Em7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-0-0-0Guitar Em7 chord diagram

To move from D to Em7:

  1. While playing D, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from E string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

D to Em7

2. D → G chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

Switching from D to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E 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, played 25 times.

D to G

3. G → G7 chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

Switching 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, played 13 times.

G to G7

4. 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

5. C → Am7 chord transition

Switching from C to Am7:

  1. While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
  2. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

6. Am7 → D chord transition

Here's how to move from Am7 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. Place ring finger on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

7. D → C chord transition

To move from D to C:

  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 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 chorus.

8. 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.

This transition appears in the chorus.

9. G → Am7 chord transition

Here's how to move from G to Am7:

  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 B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus.

Bartender's Blues chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Bartender's Blues.

  • Bartender's Blues includes 119 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Bartender's Blues contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Bartender's Blues connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → C: 14%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → G7: 2%
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.