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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.

Roy Orbison - California Blue Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, G, A, Em, A7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

WorkingallDdayandthesundon’tGshine
TryingtogetAbyandI’mjustkillingDtime
IfeeltheDrainfallthewholenightGthrough
FarawayfromEmyou,A7CaliforniaDblue
CaliforniaGbluedreamingall Dalone
NothingelsetoA7doCaliforniaDblue
EverydayIGprayI’llbeonmyDway
SavingloveforA7youCaliforniaDblue
A7Onesunnyday,I’llgetDbackagain
GSomehow, Asomeway,butIDdon’tknowwhen
CaliforniaAblue,CaliforniaDblue
LivingmyDlifewithyouonmyGmind
ThinkingofAthingsthatIleftfar Dbehind
It’sbeensoDlongdoingallIcanGdo
TogetbacktoEmyou,ACaliforniaDblue
CaliforniaGblue,(Californiablue)
Dreamingall Dalone(Californiablue)
NothingelsetoAdo,(Californiablue),CaliforniaDblue
EverydayIGpray,I’llbeonmyDway
SavingloveforA7youCaliforniaDblue
A7Onesunnyday,I’llgetDbackagain
GSomehow, Asomeway,butIDdon’tknowwhen
CaliforniaAblue,CaliforniaDblue
StillmissingEmyou,ACaliforniaDblue
StillmissingEmyou,ACaliforniaDblue
StillmissingEmyou,ACaliforniaDblue
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.
ArtistRoy Orbison
AlbumMystery Girl
GenresPop
Year1989
KeyD
DifficultyEasy

How to play California Blue on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Roy Orbison - California Blue on guitar requires 5 chords and 8 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.

California Blue uses these transitions most often: A → D (11), D → G (10), and A7 → D (6). 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 - G chord transition.

1. 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

Here's how to move 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 10 times.

D to G

2. G → A chord transition

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

Here's how to move from G to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

G to A

3. A → D chord transition

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

Here's how to move from A to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

A to D

4. G → Em chord transition

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

Switching from G to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

G to Em

5. Em → A7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to A7:

  1. While playing Em, lift your ring finger from D string fret 2.
  2. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 2.
  3. Place index finger on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse.

6. A7 → D chord transition

To move from A7 to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

7. Em → A chord transition

Switching from Em to A:

  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 2.
  3. Place index finger on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

8. D → Em chord transition

Switching from D to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

California Blue chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in California Blue.

  • California Blue includes 53 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • California Blue contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how California Blue 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 → A: 17%
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → D: 29%
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.