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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.

Fats Waller - By the Light of the Silvery Moon Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, C7, F, Am, D7, G, G7, A7, Dm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

BytheClightC7oftheSilveryFMoonAmD7
IwanttoGspoon.G7
TomyhoneyI’llCcroonGlove’sG7tune.
HoneyCmoon,C7keepashininginFJuuune.
YoursilveryCbeamswillD7bringloveCdreams.
We’llbeAmcuddlingD7soonG7
BythesilveryCmoon.
BytheClight(NottheC7dark,buttheC7light),
OftheSilveryFMoon(NottheAmsun,buttheD7moon)
IwanttoGspoon.(NotGknife,butG7spoon)
TomyhoneyI’llCcroonGlove’sG7tune.
HoneyCmoon,(NottheC7sun,buttheC7moon)
KeepashininginFJuuune.
YoursilveryCbeamswillD7bringloveCdreams.
We’llbeAmcuddlingD7soonG7
BythesilveryCmoon…
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.
ArtistFats Waller
AlbumSingle
GenresJazz
Year1942
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play By the Light of the Silvery Moon on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Fats Waller - By the Light of the Silvery Moon on guitar requires 9 chords and 14 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.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon uses these transitions most often: G7 → C (6), Am → D7 (4), and C → C7 (4). 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 - C7 chord transition.

1. C → C7 chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

To move from C to C7:

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

C to C7

2. C7 → F chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from C7 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. Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

C7 to F

3. F → Am chord transition

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

Switching from F to Am:

  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. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

F to Am

4. Am → D7 chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from Am to D7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

Am to D7

5. D7 → G chord transition

Here's how to move from D7 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 G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

6. G → G7 chord transition

Here's how to move 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 4 times.

7. G7 → C chord transition

Switching 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 6 times.

8. 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 2 times.

9. F → A7 chord transition

Switching from F to A7:

  1. While playing F, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
  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 chorus, played 2 times.

10. A7 → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from A7 to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

11. Dm → C chord transition

Switching 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 chorus, played 2 times.

12. C → D7 chord transition

Switching from C to D7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

13. C → Am chord transition

Switching 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 chorus, played 2 times.

14. D7 → G7 chord transition

Here's how to move from D7 to G7:

  1. Lift your index finger from B 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. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

By the Light of the Silvery Moon chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in By the Light of the Silvery Moon.

  • By the Light of the Silvery Moon includes 42 chord transitions, 14 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • By the Light of the Silvery Moon contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how By the Light of the Silvery Moon 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 → Am: 10%
    After C7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (62%), C (4%), and Gm (4%).
    • C7 → F: 62%
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.