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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.

Gordon Lightfoot - Cotton Jenny Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, C, D, A, G7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to A,D keys to play this song with easier chords.

G
There’saGhouseonahill
ByaCworndownweatheredoldGmill
Inthevalley Dbelowwheretheriverwinds
There’snosuchthingasbadGtimes
GAndasoftsouthernflame
OhCCottonJenny’sherGname
AndshewakesmeDupwhenthesungoesdown
AndthewheelsoflovegoGround
GWheelsoflovegoCround
LovegoGround,lovegoAround
WhatajoyfulDsound
Iain’tGgotapennyforCCottonJennytoDspend
ButthenthewheelsgoGround
GCG7C
WhenaGnewdaybegins
IgoCdowntothecottonGgin
AndImakemyDtimeworthwhiletothem
ThenIclimbbackup Gagain
GAndshewaitsbythedoor
OhCCottonJennyI’mGsore
AndsherubsmyDfeetwhilethesungoesdown
AndthewheeloflovegoesGround
GWheelsoflovegoCround
LovegoGround,lovegoAround
WhatajoyfulDsound
Iain’tGgotapennyforCCottonJennytoDspend
ButthenthewheelsgoGround
GCG7C
IntheGhot,sicklysouth
WhentheyCsaywe’llshutmyGmouth
IcanneverbeDfreefromthecottongrind
ButIknowIgotwhat’sGmine
GShe’sasoftsouthernflame
OhCCottonJenny’sherGname
ShewakesmeDupwhenthesungoesdown
AndthewheelsoflovegoGround
GWheelsoflovegoCround
LovegoGround,lovegoAround
WhatajoyfulDsound
Iain’tGgotapennyforCCottonJennytoDspend
ButthenthewheelsgoGround
GCG7C
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.
ArtistGordon Lightfoot
AlbumSummer Side of Life
GenresCountry
Year1971
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Cotton Jenny on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Gordon Lightfoot - Cotton Jenny on guitar requires 5 chords and 6 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.

Cotton Jenny uses these transitions most often: G → C (15), D → G (12), and C → G (11). 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 - C chord transition.

1. G → C chord transition

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

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 15 times.

G to C

2. G → D chord transition

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

Here's how to move from G to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

G to D

3. 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 chorus, played 3 times.

G to A

4. 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 chorus, played 3 times.

A to D

5. C → D chord transition

Switching from C to D:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

6. C → G7 chord transition

To move from C to G7:

  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 1.

This transition appears in the interlude, played 3 times.

Cotton Jenny chord transition analysis

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

  • Cotton Jenny includes 59 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Cotton Jenny contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Cotton Jenny connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → D: 24%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → D: 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.