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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 - Blind Willie McTell Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsDm, A7, Am, C, G, Bb
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 A key to play this song with easier chords.

DmDmA7DmDm
SeentheDmarrow A7onthe DmdoorpostAmDm
Saying,“ThisA7landisDmcondemnedAmDm
AlltheA7wayfromCNewGOrleans
BbToCJerusalem.”DmAmDm
IA7traveledthroughEastDmTexasAmDm
WheremanyA7martyrsDmfellAmDm
AndIknowA7noonecanCsingtheGblues
BbLikeBlindCWillieMcTellDmAmDm
Well,IDmheardtheA7hootowlsingingDmAmDm
AstheywereA7takingdowntheDmtentsAmDm
ThestarsA7abovetheCbarren Gtrees
WereBbhisonlyCaudienceDmAmDm
ThemA7charcoalgypsyDmmaidensAmDm
CanstruttheirA7feathersDmwellAmDm
ButA7nobodycanCsingthebluesG
BbLikeBlindCWillieMcTellDmAmDm
DmSeethemA7bigplantationsDmburningAmDm
HeartheA7crackingoftheDmwhipsAmDm
SmellthatsweetA7magnoliaCbloomingG
(And)seetheBbghostsofCslaveryDmships
IcanhearthemA7tribesDma-moaningAmDm
(Ican)heartheA7undertaker’sDmbell
(Yeah), A7nobodycanCsingtheGblues
BbLikeBlindCWillieDmMcTellAmDm
There’saDmwomanA7bytheDmriverAmDm
WithsomeA7fineyounghandsomeDmmanAmDm
He’sdressedupA7likeasquireCG
BbBootleggedCwhiskeyinhisDmhand
There’sachainA7gangontheDmhighwayAmDm
IcanA7hearthemrebels DmyellDm
AndIknownoA7one CcansingtheGblues
BbLikeCBlindWillieDmMcTellAmDm
Well,DmGodisA7inDmheavenAmDm
AndweA7allwantwhat’sDmhisAmDm
Butpowerand A7greedandCcorruptible Gseed
BbSeemtobeCallthatthereDmis
I’mgazingA7outthewindowDmAmDm
OftheSt.A7JamesDmHotelAmDm
AndIknowA7nooneCcansingtheGblues
BbLikeBlindCWillieDmMcTellAmDm
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
AlbumThe Bootleg Series Volumes 1–3 (Rare & Unreleased) 1961–1991
GenresBlues, Rock
Year1991
KeyDm
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Blind Willie McTell on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Bob Dylan - Blind Willie McTell on guitar requires 6 chords and 7 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.

Blind Willie McTell uses these transitions most often: Dm → A7 (31), Am → Dm (26), and Dm → Am (26). 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 Dm - A7 chord transition.

1. Dm → A7 chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from Dm to A7:

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

This transition appears in the intro, played 31 times.

Dm to A7

2. Dm → Am chord transition

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

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 26 times.

Dm to Am

3. A7 → C chord transition

Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Here's how to move from A7 to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

A7 to C

4. C → G chord transition

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

Here's how 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 verse, played 10 times.

C to G

5. G → Bb chord transition

Here's how to move from G to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

6. Bb → C chord transition

Switching from Bb to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

7. C → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from C 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 A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

Blind Willie McTell chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Blind Willie McTell.

  • Blind Willie McTell includes 154 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Blind Willie McTell contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Blind Willie McTell connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → Am: 14%
    • Dm → A7: 1%
    After A7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (41%), D7 (18%), and Dm (13%).
    • A7 → Dm: 13%
    • A7 → C: 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.