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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.

Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhattan Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsGm, Dm, C, Bb, A, F, Gm7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

TheyGmsentencedmetotwentyyearsofDmboredom
ForGmtryingtochangethesystemfromDmwithin
I’mGmcomingnowI’mcomingtoDmrewardthem
CFirstwetake BbManhattanAthenwetake DmBerlin
I’mGmguidedbyasignalintheDmheavens
I’mGmguidedbythisbirthmarkDmonmyskin
I’mGmguidedbythebeautyofourDmweapons
CFirstwetake BbManhattanAthenwetake DmBerlin
I’dFreallyliketoGm7livebesideyouCbabyBb
IloveyourFbodyandyourspiritandyourDmclothes
ButyouFseethatlinetheremovingthroughtheDmstation
ICtoldyouIBbtoldyouIAtoldyouIwasoneofDmthose
YouGmlovedmeasaloserbutnowyou’reDmworriedthatIjustmightwin
YouGmknowthewaytostopmebutyouDmdon’thavethediscipline
HowGmmanynightsIprayedforthis:toDmletmyworkbegin
CFirstwetake BbManhattanAthenwetake DmBerlin
GmIdon’tlikeyourfashionbusiness,Dmmister
GmIdon’tlikethesedrugsthatDmkeepyouthin
GmIdon’tlikewhathappenedtomyDmsister
CFirstwetake BbManhattanAthenwetake DmBerlin
I’dFreallyliketoGm7livebesideyouCbabyBb
IloveyourFbodyandyourspiritandyourDmclothes
ButyouFseethatlinetheremovingthroughtheDmstation
ICtoldyouIBbtoldyouIAtoldyouIwasoneofDmthose
AndIGmthankyouforthoseitemsthatyouDmsentme
TheGmmonkeyandtheplywoodDmviolin
IGmpractisedeverynightandnowI’mDmready
CFirstwetake BbManhattanAthenwetake DmBerlin
GmRememberme,IusedtoliveforDmmusic
GmRememberme,IbroughtyourDmgroceriesin
It’sGmFather’sDayandeverybody’sDmwounded
CFirstwetake BbManhattanAthenwetake DmBerlin
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.
ArtistLeonard Cohen
AlbumI'm Your Man
GenresPop
Year1988
KeyGm
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play First We Take Manhattan on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Leonard Cohen - First We Take Manhattan on guitar requires 7 chords and 9 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.

First We Take Manhattan uses these transitions most often: Gm → Dm (18), Dm → Gm (17), and C → Bb (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 Gm - Dm chord transition.

1. Gm → Dm chord transition

Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

Switching from Gm to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 18 times.

Gm to Dm

2. Dm → C chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Dm to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

Dm to C

3. C → Bb chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

Switching from C to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

C to Bb

4. Bb → A chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

Here's how to move from Bb to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

Bb to A

5. A → Dm chord transition

To move from A to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

6. Dm → F chord transition

Here's how to move from Dm to F:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

7. F → Gm7 chord transition

To move from F to Gm7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

8. Gm7 → C chord transition

To move from Gm7 to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

9. Bb → F chord transition

Switching from Bb to F:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

First We Take Manhattan chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in First We Take Manhattan.

  • First We Take Manhattan includes 83 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • First We Take Manhattan contains 3 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how First We Take Manhattan connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → C: 18%
    • Dm → F: 14%
    After Gm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (15%), F (12%), and Dm (10%).
    • Gm → Dm: 10%
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.