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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.

Leonard Cohen - Chelsea Hotel Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, G, F, Em7, Am, G7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

I CrememberyouGwellintheFChelseaHotelC
YouweretalkingsoEm7braveandsoAmsweet
CGivingmeGheadontheFunmadeCbed
WhiletheFlimousineswaitintheG7street
AmThosewerethereasonsandFthatwasNewYork
WewereCrunningfortheEm7moneyandtheAmflesh
AndFthatwascalledlovefortheCworkersinsong
ProbablyFstillisforthoseofthemG7left
AhbutFyougotaway,Cdidn’tyoubabe
YouCjustturnedyourEm7backontheAmcrowd
FYougotaway,IneveronceCheardyousay
IFneedyou,Idon’tCneedyou
IFneedyou,Idon’tCneedyou
AndFallofthatjiving AmaroundG7
I CrememberyouGwellintheFChelseaHotelC
Youwerefamous,yourEm7heartwasaAmlegend
YouCtoldme GagainyouFpreferredhandsomeCmen
ButforFmeyouwouldmakean G7exception
AndAmclenchingyourfistfortheFoneslikeus
Whoare CopressedbytheEm7figuresofAmbeauty
FYoufixedyourself,yousaid,C”Wellnevermind
WeareFuglybutwehavetheG7music.”
AndthenFyougotaway,Cdidn’tyoubabe
YouCjustturnedyourEm7backontheAmcrowd
FYougotaway,IneveronceCheardyousay
IFneedyou,Idon’tCneedyou
IFneedyou,Idon’tCneedyou
AndFallofthatjiving AmaroundG7
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.
ArtistLeonard Cohen
AlbumNew Skin for the Old Ceremony
GenresPop
Year1974
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Chelsea Hotel on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Leonard Cohen - Chelsea Hotel on guitar requires 6 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.

Chelsea Hotel uses these transitions most often: F → C (16), C → F (10), and Am → F (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 C - G chord transition.

1. 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 4 times.

C to G

2. 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

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

G to F

3. 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

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 16 times.

F to C

4. C → Em7 chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Em7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-0-0-0Guitar Em7 chord diagram

To move from C to Em7:

  1. While playing C, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

C to Em7

5. Em7 → Am chord transition

To move from Em7 to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

6. Am → C chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

7. F → G7 chord transition

Switching from F to G7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

8. G7 → Am chord transition

To move from G7 to Am:

  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 G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

9. Am → F chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

10. 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.

Chelsea Hotel chord transition analysis

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

  • Chelsea Hotel includes 67 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Chelsea Hotel contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Chelsea Hotel 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 → F: 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.