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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.

Taylor Swift - Cruel Summer Chords

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

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

G(Yeah,yeah,yeah,yeah)
CFeverdreamhighDinthequietofthenight
YouBmknowthatIcaughtitEm(ohyeah,you’reright,Iwantit)
CBad,badboy,Dshinytoywithaprice
YouBmknowthatIboughtitEm(ohyeah,you’reright,Iwantit)
KillingmeCslow,outtheDwindow
I’malwayswaitingBmforyoutobewaitingEmbelow
DevilsrolltheCdice,angelsrolltheireyes
Whatdoesn’tDkillmemakesmewantyoumore
Andit’sGnew,theshapeofyourbody
It’sBmblue,thefeelingI’vegot
Andit’sEmooh-oohoohwhoa-oh
It’saCcruelsummer
It’sGcool,that’swhatItell’em
NoBmrules,unbreakableheaven
ButEmooh-oohoohwhoa-oh
It’saCcruelsummer,withGyou
CHangyourheadlowDintheglowofthevendingBmmachine
I’mnotbuying(ohEmyeah,you’reright,Iwantit)
YouCsaythatwe’lljustDscrewitupinthesetryingBmtimes
We’renottrying(ohEmyeah,you’reright,Iwantit)
SocuttheCheadlights,summer’sDaknife
I’malwayswaitingBmforyoujusttocutEmtothebone
DevilsrolltheCdice(dice),angelsrolltheireyes(eyes)
AndifIDbleed,you’llbethelasttoknow
Ohit’sGnew,theshapeofyourbody
It’sBmblue,thefeelingI’vegot
Andit’sEmooh-oohoohwhoa-oh
It’saCcruelsummer
It’sGcool,that’swhatItell’em
NoBmrules,unbreakableheaven
ButEmooh-oohoohwhoa-oh
It’saCcruelsummer,(G)withyou
GI’mdrunkinthebackofthecar
AndIBmcriedlikeababycominghomefromthebar(oh)
EmSaidI’mfine,butitwasn’ttrue
Idon’tCwannakeepsecretsjusttokeepyou
AndGIsnuckinthroughthegardengate
EveryBmnightthatsummerjusttosealmyfate(oh)
EmAndIscreamedforwhateverit’sworth
“ICloveyou,”ain’tthattheworstthingyoueverN.C.heard?
Helooksup,grinninglikeadevil
It’sGnew,theshapeofyourbody
It’sBmblue,thefeelingI’vegot
Andit’sEmooh-oohoohwhoa-oh
It’saCcruelsummer
It’sGcool,that’swhatItell’em
NoBmrules,unbreakableheaven
ButEmooh-oohoohwhoa-oh
It’saCcruelsummer,(G)withyou
GI’mdrunkinthebackofthecar
AndIBmcriedlikeababycominghomefromthebar(oh)
EmSaidI’mfine,butitwasn’ttrue
Idon’tCwannakeepsecretsjusttokeepyou
AndGIsnuckinthroughthegardengate
EveryBmnightthatsummerjusttosealmyfate(oh)
EmAndIscreamedforwhateverit’sworth
“ICloveyou,”ain’tthattheworstthingyoueverGheard?
(Yeah,yeah,yeah,yeah)
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.
ArtistTaylor Swift
AlbumLover
GenresPop
Year2019
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Cruel Summer on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Taylor Swift - Cruel Summer on guitar requires 5 chords and 7 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.

Cruel Summer uses these transitions most often: Bm → Em (16), Em → C (16), and C → G (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 - 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

Here's how to move 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 2 times.

G to C

2. C → D chord transition

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

Here's how to move 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 verse, played 8 times.

C to D

3. D → Bm chord transition

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

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

D to Bm

4. Bm → Em chord transition

Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

Switching from Bm to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 16 times.

Bm to Em

5. Em → C chord transition

To move from Em to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 16 times.

6. 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 chorus, played 2 times.

7. G → Bm chord transition

Switching from G to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 10 times.

Cruel Summer chord transition analysis

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

  • Cruel Summer includes 70 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Cruel Summer contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Cruel Summer 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 → D: 11%
    After Bm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (25%), A (19%), and Em (13%).
    • Bm → Em: 13%
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.