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Bill Withers - Ain’t No Sunshine Chords

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

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

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am]Ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone. [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
[Am]It’s not warm when she’s away. [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s [Em]gone, and she’s always gone too [Dm]long,
Anytime she goes [Am]away [Em] [G] [Am]
[Am]Wonder this time where she’s gone [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
[Am]Wonder if she’s gone to stay [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
Ain’t no sunshine when she’s [Em]gone, and this house just ain’t no [Dm]home,
Anytime she goes [Am]away [Em] [G] [Am]

[verse 2]
[Am]And I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
[Am]I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know, I know
[Am]Hey, I ought to leave the young thing alone

[verse 3]
But ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
[Am]But ain’t no sunshine when she’s gone [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
[Am]only darkness everyday. [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
Ain’t no sunshine [Em]when she’s gone, and this house just ain’t no [Dm]home

[Closing]
Anytime she goes [Am]away. [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
Anytime she goes [Am]away. [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
Anytime she goes [Am]away. [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
Anytime she goes [Am]away. [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]
Anytime she goes [Am]away. [A] [Am] [Em] [G] [Am]

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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.
ArtistBill Withers
AlbumJust as I Am
GenresPop, R&B, Soul
Year1971
KeyAm

How to play Ain’t No Sunshine on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Bill Withers - Ain’t No Sunshine on guitar requires 5 chords and 6 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.

Ain’t No Sunshine uses these transitions most often: Am → Em (17), Em → G (14), and G → 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 - Em chord transition.

1. Am → Em chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from Am to Em;

  1. While playing Am, 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 G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
Am to Em

2. Em → G chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from Em to G;

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

3. G → Am chord transition

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

To move from G 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 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
G to Am

4. Em → Dm chord transition

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

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.
Em to Dm

5. Dm → Am chord transition

To move from Dm to Am;

  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 G string fret 2.

6. Am → A chord transition

To move from Am to A;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  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 2.

Ain’t No Sunshine chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Ain’t No Sunshine.

  • Ain’t No Sunshine includes 53 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Ain’t No Sunshine contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Ain’t No Sunshine 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 → Em: 10%
    • Am → A: 0%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (17%).
    • Em → G: 18%
    • Em → Dm: 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.