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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.

Ed Sheeran - Fairytale Of New York Chords

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

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

ItwasChristmasDEvebabe,IntheGdrunktank
AnoldmanDsaidtome,won’tseeAanotherone
AndthenheDsangasong,TheRareOldGMountainDew
IturnedmyDfaceawayAndGdreamedAaboutDyou
GotonaDluckyoneCameinGeighteentoone
I’vegotaDfeelingThisyear’sforAmeandyou
SohappyDChristmas,IloveGyoubaby
IcanseeaDbettertime,whenGallourAdreamscomeDtrue
They’vegotDcars,bigasAbars,they’vegotBmriversofGgold.
ButtheDwindgoesrightthroughyou,it’snoplacefortheAold.
WhenyouDfirsttookmyBmhand,onaDcoldChristmasGEve.
YouDpromisedme,GBroadwaywasAwaitingforDme.
YouwereDhandsome,youwerepretty,QueenofNewYorkACity
WhentheDbandfinishedGplaying,theyAhowledoutforDmore
DSinatrawasswinging,allthedrunkstheywereAsinging
WeDkissedontheGcorner,thenAdancedthroughtheDnight
TheGboysoftheNYPDAchoir,wereDsinging‘GalwayBmBay’
AndtheDbellswereGringing,AoutforChristmasDday
DGDADGDAD
DYou’reabum,you’reaApunk.
You’reanBmoldgalonGjunk.
LivingDtherealmostdeadonadripinthatAbed.
YouDscumbag…
Youmaggot,youcheaplousyAblaggar,happyDChristmasyourGmuggar
IprayAGod,it’sourDlast…
TheGboysoftheNYPDAchoir,stillDsinging`GalwayBmBay`
AndtheDbellsareGringing,AoutforChristmasDDay
IcouldhaveDbeen,someonewell,socouldGanyone
YoutookmyDdreamsfrom,mewhenIfirstAfoundyou
IkeptthemDwithmebabe,IputthemGwithmyown
Can’tmakeitDallaloneI’vebuiltmydreamsAaroundDyou
TheGboysoftheNYPDAchoir,stillDSinging`GalwayBmBay`
AndtheDbellsareGringing,AoutforChristmasDDay
DGDADGDAD
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.
ArtistEd Sheeran
AlbumSingle
GenresPop
Year2017
KeyD
DifficultyEasy

How to play Fairytale Of New York on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Ed Sheeran - Fairytale Of New York on guitar requires 4 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.

Fairytale Of New York uses these transitions most often: A → D (25), D → G (23), and D → A (15). 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 - G chord transition.

1. 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

Switching 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 23 times.

D to G

2. 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 15 times.

D to A

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

Switching 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 12 times.

G 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 2 times.

A to Bm

5. Bm → G chord transition

Here's how to move from Bm to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

6. D → Bm chord transition

Here's how to move 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 4 times.

Fairytale Of New York chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Fairytale Of New York.

  • Fairytale Of New York includes 100 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Fairytale Of New York contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Fairytale Of New York 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 → A: 17%
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → D: 29%
    • A → Bm: 8%
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.