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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.

Johnny Cash - Big Iron Chords

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

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to E,G keys to play this song with easier chords.

CTothetownofAguaFriarodeaAmstrangeronefineday
HardlyCspoketofolksaroundhimdidn’thavetoomuchtoAmsay
NooneFdaredtoaskhisbusiness,nooneCdaredtomakeaslip
ForthestrangerthereamongthemhadaAmbigirononhiship
FBigirononhisChip
ItwasearlyinthemorningwhenheAmrodeintothetown
HecameCridingfromthesouthsideslowlylookingall Amaround
He’sanFoutlawlooseandrunningcametheCwhisperfromeachlip
Andhe’sheretodosomebusinesswiththeAmbigirononhiship
FBigirononhisChip
InthistowntherelivedanoutlawbytheAmnameofTexasRed
ManyCmenhadtriedtotakehimandthatmanymenwereAmdead
HewasFviciousandakiller,thoughaCyouthoftwenty-four
AndthenotchesonhispistolnumberedAmoneandnineteenmore
FOneandnineteenCmore
NowthestrangerstartedtalkingmadeitAmplaintofolksaround
HewasanCArizonarangerwouldn’tbetoolonginAmtown
HecameFheretotakeanoutlawback Caliveormaybedead
Andhesaiditdidn’tmatterhewasAmafterTexasRed
FAfterTexasCRed
Wasn’tlongbeforethestorywas AmrelayedtoTexasRed
ButtheCoutlawdidn’tworry,menthatAmtriedbeforeweredead
TwentyFmenhadtriedtotakehimtwentyCmenhadmadeaslip
TwentyonewouldbethestrangerwiththeAmbigirononhiship
FBigirononhisChip
Themorningpassedsoquickly,itwasAmtimeforthemtomeet
ItwasCtwentypastelevenwhentheywalkedoutintheAmstreet
FolkswereFwatchingfromtheirwindows,everybodyheldtheirCbreath
Theyknewthishandsomerangerwas Amabouttomeethisdeath
Was FabouttomeethisCdeath
TherewasfortyfeetbetweenthemwhentheyAmstoppedtomaketheirplay
AndtheCswiftnessoftherangerisstilltalkedabout Amtoday
TexasFRedhadnotclearedleatherwhenaCbulletfairlyripped
Andtheranger’saimwasdeadlywiththeAmbigirononhiship
TheFbigirononhisChip
BigFiron,bigCiron
WhenhetriedtomatchtherangerwiththeAmbigirononhiship
TheFbigirononhisChip
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.
ArtistJohnny Cash
AlbumAmerican IV: The Man Comes Around
GenresCountry
Year2002
KeyC
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Big Iron on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Johnny Cash - Big Iron on guitar requires 3 chords and 3 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.

Big Iron uses these transitions most often: C → Am (22), F → C (16), and Am → F (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 C - Am chord transition.

1. 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

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 22 times.

C to Am

2. Am → F chord transition

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

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 15 times.

Am to F

3. F → C chord transition

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

Switching from F to C:

  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. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 16 times.

F to C

Big Iron chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Big Iron.

  • Big Iron includes 61 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Big Iron contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Big Iron 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 → F: 16%
    • C → Am: 10%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → C: 16%
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.