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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.

Dobie Gray - Drift Away Chords

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

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

DDayafterdayI’mmore Aconfused
DYetIlookfortheElightthroughthepouringArain
DYouknowthat’sagamethatIhatetoAlose
BmAndI’mfeelin’thestrain,Dain’titashame
Oh,Agivemethebeatboysandfreemysoul
IEwannagetlostinyourrockandrollandDdriftaway
Oh,Agivemethebeatboysandfreemysoul
IEwannagetlostinyourrockandrollandDdriftaway
DBeginningtothinkthatI’mwastin’Atime
DIdon’t EunderstandthethingsIAdo
DTheworldoutsidelooksso Aunkind
BmAndI’mcountin’onyoutoDcarrymethrough
Oh,Agivemethebeatboysandfreemysoul
IEwannagetlostinyourrockandrollandDdriftaway
Oh,Agivemethebeatboysandfreemysoul
IEwannagetlostinyourrockandrollandDdriftaway
BmAndwhenmymindisfree
DYouknowamelodycanAmoveme
BmAndwhenI’mfeelin’blue
DTheguitar’scomin’throughtoEsootheme
DThanksforthejoythatyou’vegivenAme
DIwantyoutoEknowIbelieveinyourAsong
DAndrhythmandrhymeand Aharmony
BmYou’vehelpedmealong,Dmakin’mestrong
Oh,Agivemethebeatboysandfreemysoul
IEwannagetlostinyourrockandrollandDdriftaway
Oh,Agivemethebeatboysandfreemysoul
IEwannagetlostinyourrockandrollandDdriftaway
Nanana,won’tyou,Dwon’tyouAtakeme
Oh,Etakeme
Barrechordscanbereasonablyeasyandfunforthissong
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.
ArtistDobie Gray
AlbumDrift Away
GenresR&B, Soul
Year1973
KeyD
DifficultyEasy

How to play Drift Away on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Dobie Gray - Drift Away on guitar requires 4 chords and 5 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.

Drift Away uses these transitions most often: D → A (14), A → E (7), and E → D (7). 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

Switching 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 14 times.

D to A

2. D → E chord transition

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

Here's how to move from D to E:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

D to E

3. E → A chord transition

Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

Here's how to move from E to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

E to A

4. A → Bm chord transition

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

Here's how to move from A to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

A to Bm

5. Bm → D chord transition

Here's how to move from Bm to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

Drift Away chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Drift Away.

  • Drift Away includes 51 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Drift Away contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Drift Away 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 → Bm: 5%
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → D: 29%
    • A → E: 12%
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.