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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.

Charlie Puth - River Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, E, F, D, Dm, G7, G, C
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 E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am]Don’t run from me river, [E]don’t run from me river river
[F]No don’t run from me river, [D]don’t run from me river river
[Am]Look, you can play it [E]cool, [E]act like you don’t [F]care
[F]River don’t mean [D]cruel, [E]you’re pushing me [Am]away
Don’t want to get [E]hurt, saw you hurt me [F]first, with the words you [D]say

[chorus]
Maybe you should [Dm]fall, that’s what rivers [G7]do [G] [G7]
‘Cause when you’re in [C]love, you don’t mind a different [F]view
Things are [E]looking up

[chorus]
Oh [Am]river (river, river), don’t [E]run (run, run)
Don’t [F]run (river, river), don’t [D]run (run, run)
Oh [Am]river (river, river), don’t [E]run (run, run)
Don’t [F]run (river, river), from our [D]love (run, run)

[Closing]
[Am]Look, darling don’t give [E]up, when the water’s [F]rough
[F]Where you gonna [D]go? My heart is your [Am]home
Nothing is as [E]cold, [E]as running on your [F]own
[F]So river don’t you [D]rush

[chorus]
Maybe you should [Dm]fall, that’s what rivers [G7]do [G] [G7]
‘Cause when you’re in [C]love, you don’t mind a different [F]view
Things are [E]looking up

[chorus]
Oh [Am]river (river, river), don’t [E]run (run, run)
Don’t [F]run (river, river), don’t [D]run (run, run)
Oh [Am]river (river, river), don’t [E]run (run, run)
Don’t [F]run (river, river), from our [D]love (run, run)

[chorus]
[Am]Don’t run from me river, [E]don’t run from me river river
[F]No don’t run from me river, [D]don’t run from me river river
[Am]No don’t run from me river, [E]don’t run from me river river
[F]No don’t run from me [D]river…

[chorus]
Maybe you should [Dm]fall, that’s what rivers [G7]do [G] [G7]
‘Cause when you’re in [C]love, you don’t mind a different [F]view
Things are [E]looking up

[chorus]
Oh [Am]river (river, river), don’t [E]run (run, run)
Don’t [F]run (river, river), don’t [D]run (run, run)
Oh [Am]river (river, river), don’t [E]run (run, run)
Don’t [F]run (river, river), from our [D]love (run, run)

[chorus]
[Am]Don’t run from me river, [E]don’t run from me river river
[F]No don’t run from me river, [D]don’t run from me river river
[Am]No don’t run from me river, [E]don’t run from me river river
[F]No don’t run from me [D]river…

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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.
ArtistCharlie Puth
AlbumNine Track Mind
GenresPop
Year2016
KeyAm

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

Charlie Puth - River on guitar requires 8 chords and 10 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.

River uses these transitions most often: Am → E (15), E → F (15), and F → D (15). 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 - E chord transition.

1. Am → E chord transition

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

To move from Am to E;

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

2. E → F chord transition

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

To move from E to F;

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

3. F → D chord transition

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

To move from F to D;

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

4. D → Am chord transition

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

To move from D to Am;

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

5. D → E chord transition

To move from D to E;

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

6. D → Dm chord transition

To move from D to Dm;

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

7. Dm → G7 chord transition

To move from Dm to G7;

  1. Lift your index finger from E 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. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.

8. G7 → G chord transition

To move from G7 to G;

  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 1 to fret 3.

9. G7 → C chord transition

To move 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.

10. C → F chord transition

To move from C 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. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

River chord transition analysis

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

  • River includes 81 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • River contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how River connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After E, the most likely next chords across Chordier are A (25%), D (14%), and B (11%).
    • E → Am: 9%
    • E → F: 3%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → D: 1%
    • F → E: 1%
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.