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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.

Jim Reeves - Distant Drums Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, A7, G, D7, A
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

IDheartheA7sound,ofdistantDdrums
Far A7away,far Daway
AndiftheyA7call,formetoDcome
ThenGImustDgo,andA7youmustDstay
SoMarymarryme;D7let’snotGwait
Let’sshareAallthetimeweA7canbeforeit’stooDlate
Lovemenow,fornowisD7allthetimetheremayGbe
IfyouAlovemeMary,A7MarymarryDme
IDheartheA7sound,ofbuglesDblow
Far A7away,far Daway
AndiftheyA7call,thenImustDgo
GAcrosstheDsea,soA7wildandDgrey
SoMarymarryme;D7let’snotGwait
FortheAdistantdrumsmightA7changeourweddingDdate
AndlovemenowfornowisD7allthetimetheremayGbe
IfyouAlovemeMary,A7MarymarryDme
IheartheA7sound,ofdistantDdrums
Far A7away,far Daway
AndiftheyA7call,formetoDcome
ThenGImustDgo,andA7youmustDstay
SoMarymarryme;D7let’snotGwait
FortheAdistantdrumsmightA7changeourweddingDdate
AndlovemenowfornowisD7allthetimetheremayGbe
IfyouAlovemeMary,A7MarymarryDme
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.
ArtistJim Reeves
AlbumDistant Drums
GenresCountry
Year1966
KeyD
DifficultyEasy

How to play Distant Drums on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Jim Reeves - Distant Drums 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.

Distant Drums uses these transitions most often: A7 → D (18), D → A7 (12), and A → A7 (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 D - A7 chord transition.

1. D → A7 chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

To move from D to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

D to A7

2. D → G chord transition

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

Here's how 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 3 times.

D to G

3. D → D7 chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram

To move from D to D7:

  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 G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

D to D7

4. D7 → G chord transition

Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from D7 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 G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

D7 to G

5. G → A chord transition

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 verse, played 6 times.

6. A → A7 chord transition

To move from A to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

Distant Drums chord transition analysis

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

  • Distant Drums includes 60 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Distant Drums contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Distant Drums connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → D7: 1%
    After A7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (41%), D7 (18%), and Dm (13%).
    • A7 → D: 41%
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.