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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.

David Bowie - China Girl Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, Am, Em, B, F, D, C
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

GAmGAm
GIcouldescapethisfeeling,AmwithmyChinaGirl
GIfeelawreckwithoutmy,AmlittleChinaGirl
EmIhearherheartbeating,Gloudasthunder
AmSawthestarscrashingB
GI’mamesswithoutAmmylittleChinaGirl
GWakeupinthemorningwhere’smy,AmlittleChinaGirl
EmIhearherheart’sbeating,Gloudasthunder
AmSawthestarscrashingBdown
GIfeela-tragiclikeI’mFMarlonBrando
EmWhenIlookatmyChinaDGirl
GIcouldpretendthatnothingFreallymeanttoomuch
EmWhenIlookatmyChinaDGirl
EmDCB
EmIstumbleintotownDjustlikeasacredcow
CVisionsofswastikasinmyhead,Bplansforeveryone
EmIt’sinthewhitesofmyDeyesCB
EmMylittleChinaGirl,Dyoushouldn’tmesswithme
CI’llruineverythingyouBare
EmI’llgiveyoutelevision,DI’llgiveyoueyesofblue
CI’llgiveyouamanwhowantstoBruletheworld
GAndwhenIgetexcited,FmylittleChinaGirlsays
EmOhbabyjustyoushutyourDmouth
ShesaysEmshhhD
ShesaysCshhhB
ShesaysEmD
ShesaysCB
EmDCB
GAndwhenIgetexcitedFmylittleChinaGirlsays
EmOhbabyjustyoushutyourDmouth
GAndwhenIgetexcitedFmylittleChinaGirlsays
EmOhbabyjustyoushutyourDmouth
ShesaysEmshhhD
ShesaysCshhhB
EmDCBEm
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.
ArtistDavid Bowie
AlbumLet's Dance
GenresRock
Year1983
KeyG
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play China Girl on Guitar (Step-by-step)

David Bowie - China Girl on guitar requires 7 chords and 12 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.

China Girl uses these transitions most often: Em → D (15), C → B (10), and D → C (10). 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 G - Am chord transition.

1. G → Am chord transition

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

Switching from G 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 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the intro, played 8 times.

G to Am

2. Am → Em chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Am to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

Am to Em

3. Em → G chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Em to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

Em to G

4. Am → B chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar B chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar B chord diagram

Here's how to move from Am to B:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

Am to B

5. B → G chord transition

Switching from B to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

6. G → F chord transition

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 5 times.

7. F → Em chord transition

Switching from F to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

8. Em → D chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 15 times.

9. D → G chord transition

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 2 times.

10. D → C chord transition

Here's how to move from D to C:

  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 A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the interlude, played 10 times.

11. C → B chord transition

To move from C to B:

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

This transition appears in the interlude, played 10 times.

12. B → Em chord transition

To move from B to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

China Girl chord transition analysis

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

  • China Girl includes 80 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • China Girl contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how China Girl connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → G: 18%
    • Em → D: 18%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Em: 17%
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.