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Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, F, C, G, Dm, Fmaj7, F#m, D, Bm, A, E
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 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
  • 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 Fmaj7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-3-2-1-0Guitar Fmaj7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am]Psychic spies from China
Try to [F]steal your mind's elation
[Am]Little girls from Sweden
Dream of [F]silver screen quotations
And [C]if you want these [G]kind of dreams
It's [F]Californi[Dm]cation

[interlude]
| [Am] | [F] | [Am] | [F] |

[verse 2]
It's the[Am] edge of the world
And all of [F]western civilization
The [Am]sun may rise in the East
At least it [F]settled in a final location
It's [C]understood that [G]Hollywood
sells [F]Californi[Dm]cation

[interlude]
| [Am] | [Fmaj7] | [Am] | [Fmaj7] |

[verse 3]
[Am]Pay your surgeon very well
To [Fmaj7]break the spell of aging
Ce[Am]lebrity skin, is this your chin?
Or [Fmaj7]is that war you're waging?
[Am] First born unic[Fmaj7]orn
[Am] Hardcore soft p[Fmaj7]orn

[chorus]
[C]Dream of Cali[G]fornic[Dm]ation [Am]
[C]Dream of Cali[G]forni[Dm]cation
[C]Dream of Cali[G]fornic[Dm]ation [Am]
[C]Dream of Cali[G]forni[Dm]cation

[interlude]
| [Am] | [F] | [Am] | [F] |

[verse 4]
[Am]Marry me girl, be my fairy to the world
Be my [F]very own constellation
A [Am]teenage bride with a baby inside
Getting [F]high on information
And [C]buy me a star on the [G]boulevard
It's [F]Californi[Dm]cation

[interlude]
| [Am] | [F] | [Am] | [F] |

[verse 5]
[Am]Space may be the final frontier
But it's [F]made in a Hollywood basement
And [Am]Cobain can you hear the spheres
Singing [F]songs off station to station?
And [C]Alderaan's not [G]far away
It's [F]Californi[Dm]cation

[chorus]
[Am]Ooooo - [Fmaj7]ooooh [Am]Oooo - [Fmaj7]ooooh

[verse 6]
[Am]Born and raised by those who praise
Contr[Fmaj7]ol of population
[Am]Everybody's been there and
I d[Fmaj7]on't mean on vacation
[Am] First born unic[Fmaj7]orn
[Am] Hardcore soft p[Fmaj7]orn

[chorus]
[C]Dream of Cali[G]fornic[Dm]ation [Am]
[C]Dream of Cali[G]forni[Dm]cation
[C]Dream of Cali[G]fornic[Dm]ation [Am]
[C]Dream of Cali[G]forni[Dm]cation

[interlude]
| [F#m] | [D] | [F#m] | [D] |
| [Bm] [D] | [A] [E] | [F#m] | [D] |
| [F#m] | [D] | [Bm] [D] | [A] [E] |
| [Bm] [D] | [A] [E] | [Bm] [D] | [A] [E] |

[interlude]
| [Am] | [F] | [Am] | [F] |

[verse 7]
Destr[Am]uction leads to a very rough road
But it [F]also breeds creation
And [Am]earthquakes are to a girl's guitar
They're [F]just another good vibration
And [C]tidal waves couldn't [G]save the world
From [F]Californi[Dm]cation

[chorus]
[Am]Ooooo - [Fmaj7]ooooh [Am]Oooo - [Fmaj7]ooooh

[Closing]
[Am]Pay your surgeon very well
To [Fmaj7]break the spell of aging
[Am]Sicker than the rest, there is no test
But [Fmaj7]this is what you're craving
[Am] First born unic[Fmaj7]orn
[Am] Hardcore soft p[Fmaj7]orn

[chorus]
[C]Dream of Cali[G]fornic[Dm]ation [Am]
[C]Dream of Cali[G]forni[Dm]cation
[C]Dream of Cali[G]fornic[Dm]ation [Am]
[C]Dream of Cali[G]forni[Dm]cation

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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.
ArtistRed Hot Chili Peppers
AlbumSingle
GenresRock
Year2002
KeyAm

How to play Californication on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Red Hot Chili Peppers - Californication on guitar requires 11 chords and 19 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.

Californication uses these transitions most often: Am → F (18), Am → Fmaj7 (18), and C → G (17). 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 - F chord transition.

1. 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.
Am to F

2. 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

To move 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.
F to C

3. 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

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.
C to G

4. G → F chord transition

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

To move from G to F;

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

5. F → Dm chord transition

To move from F to Dm;

  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 E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to B string fret 3.

6. 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.

7. Am → Fmaj7 chord transition

To move from Am to Fmaj7;

  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 D string fret 3.

8. Fmaj7 → C chord transition

To move from Fmaj7 to C;

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

9. G → Dm chord transition

To move from G to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  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 3.

10. Am → C chord transition

To move from Am to C;

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

11. Dm → C chord transition

To move 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.

12. Dm → F#m chord transition

To move from Dm to F#m;

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

13. F#m → D chord transition

To move from F#m to D;

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

14. D → Bm chord transition

To move from D to Bm;

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

15. D → A chord transition

To move from D to A;

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

16. A → E chord transition

To move from A to E;

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

17. E → F#m chord transition

To move from E to F#m;

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

18. E → Bm chord transition

To move from E to Bm;

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

19. E → Am chord transition

To move from E to Am;

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

Californication chord transition analysis

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

  • Californication includes 157 chord transitions, 19 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Californication contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Californication 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 → F: 26%
    • Am → C: 16%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → Am: 11%
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.