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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.

Louis Armstrong - Down by the Riverside Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, A, A7, G7, D7
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 key to play this song with easier chords.

I’mgonnaDlaydownmyburdenLord,downbytheriverside,
ADownbytheriverside,Ddownbytheriverside,
I’mgonnaDlaydownmyburdenLord,downbytheriverside,
Ain’tgonnaAstudyA7warnoDmore
Ain’tagonnaG7studywarnomore,ain’tagonnaDstudywarnomore.
Ain’tagonnaAstudywarnoDmore,
Ain’tagonnaG7studywarnomore,ain’tagonnaDstudywarnomore.
Iain’tgonnaAstudyA7warnoDmore.
I’mgonnaDlaydownmysword&shield,downbytheriverside,
ADownbytheriverside,Ddownbytheriverside,
I’mgonnaDlaydownmysword&shield,downbytheriverside,
Ain’tgonnaAstudywarnoDmore
Ain’tagonnaG7studywarnomore,ain’tagonnaDstudywarnomore.
Ain’tagonnaAstudywarnoDmore,
Ain’tagonnaG7studywarnomore,ain’tagonnaDstudywarnomore.
Iain’tgonnaAstudyA7warnoDmore.
I’mgonnaDmeetmydearfatherLord.downbytheriverside,
ADownbytheriverside,Ddownbytheriverside,
I’mgonnaDmeetmydearfatherLord.downbytheriverside,
Ain’tgonnaAstudyA7warnoDmore
Ain’tagonnaG7studywarnomore,ain’tagonnaDstudywarnomore.
Ain’tagonnaAstudywarnoDmore,
Ain’tagonnaG7studywarnomore,ain’tagonnaDstudywarnomore.
Iain’tgonnaAstudyA7warnoDmore.
I’mgonnaDmeetmydearmotherLord.downbytheriverside,
ADownbytheriverside,Ddownbytheriverside,
I’mgonnaDmeetmydearmotherLord.downbytheriverside,
Ain’tgonnaAstudyA7warnoDmore
Ain’tagonnaG7studywarnomore,ain’tagonnaDstudywarnomore.
Ain’tagonnaAstudywarnoDmore,
Ain’tagonnaG7studywarnomore,ain’tagonnaDstudywarnomore.
Iain’tgonnaAstudyA7warnoDmore.
I’mgonnaDputonmystarrycrown,..downbytheriverside,
ADownbytheriverside,Ddownbytheriverside,
I’mgonnaDputonmystarrycrown,..downbytheriverside,
Ain’tgonnaAstudyA7warnoDmore
Ain’tagonnaG7studywarnomore,ain’tagonnaDstudywarnomore.
Ain’tagonnaAstudywarnoDmore,
Ain’tagonnaG7studywarnomore,ain’tagonnaDstudywarnomore.
Iain’tgonnaAstudyA7warnoDmore.
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.
ArtistLouis Armstrong
AlbumLouis and the Good Book
GenresJazz
Year1958
KeyD
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Down by the Riverside on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Louis Armstrong - Down by the Riverside 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.

Down by the Riverside uses these transitions most often: D → A (20), A → D (11), and G7 → D (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 D - A chord transition.

1. D → A chord transition

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

To move from D to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 20 times.

D to A

2. A → A7 chord transition

Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

Here's how 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 9 times.

A to A7

3. A7 → D chord transition

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

Here's how to move from A7 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 B string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

A7 to D

4. D → G7 chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from D to G7:

  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 1.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 5 times.

D to G7

5. D → D7 chord transition

Here's how 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 chorus, played 5 times.

6. D7 → G7 chord transition

To move from D7 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 G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 5 times.

Down by the Riverside chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Down by the Riverside.

  • Down by the Riverside includes 74 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Down by the Riverside contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Down by the Riverside 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 → A: 17%
    • D → D7: 1%
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → D: 29%
    • A → A7: 3%
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.