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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.

John Prine - Fish and Whistle Chords

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

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

DIbeenthinkinglatelyabouttheGpeopleIDmeet
TheGcarwashontheDcornerandtheAholeinthestreet
TheDwaymyankleshurtwithGshoesonmyfeet
AndI’mDwonderingifI’mAgonnaseeDtomorrow.
DFatherforgiveusforGwhatwemustDdo
GYouforgiveDusAwe’llforgiveyou
DWe’llforgiveeachothertillweGbothturnblue
Thenwe’llDwhistleandgoAfishinginDheaven.
DIwasinthearmybutIGneverdugaDtrench
IGusedtobustmyDknucklesonaAmonkeywrench
ThenI’dDgototownanddrinkandGgivethegirlsapinch
ButIDdon’tthinktheyeverAevenDnoticedme.
DFatherforgiveusforGwhatwemustDdo
GYouforgiveDusAwe’llforgiveyou
DWe’llforgiveeachothertillweGbothturnblue
Thenwe’llDwhistleandgoAfishinginDheaven.
AFishandwhistle,whistleandfish
DEateverythingthattheyputonyourdish
GAndwhenwegetthroughwe’llDmakeabigwish
ThatweEmneverhavetodothisAagain,again,again.
OnmyDveryfirstjobIsaidGthankyouandDplease
TheyGmademescrubaDparkinglotAdownonmyknees
DThenIgotfiredforGbeingscaredofbees
AndtheyonlyDgivemeAfiftycentsanDhour.
DFatherforgiveusforGwhatwemustDdo
GYouforgiveDusAwe’llforgiveyou
DWe’llforgiveeachothertillweGbothturnblue
Thenwe’llDwhistleandgoAfishinginDheaven.
AFishandwhistlewhistleandfish
DEateverythingthattheyputonyourdish
GAndwhenwegetthroughwe’llDmakeabigwish
ThatweEmneverhavetodothisAagain,again,again.
DFatherforgiveusforGwhatwemustDdo
GYouforgiveDusAwe’llforgiveyou
DWe’llforgiveeachothertillweGbothturnblue
Thenwe’llDwhistleandgoAfishinginDheaven.
We’llwhistleandgoAfishinginDheaven
We’llwhistleandgoAfishinginDheaven
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.
ArtistJohn Prine
AlbumBruised Orange
GenresRock
Year1978
KeyD
DifficultyEasy

How to play Fish and Whistle on Guitar (Step-by-step)

John Prine - Fish and Whistle on guitar requires 4 chords and 4 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.

Fish and Whistle uses these transitions most often: D → G (23), G → D (23), and A → D (20). 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 18 times.

D to A

3. D → Em chord transition

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

Switching from D to Em:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

D to Em

4. Em → A chord transition

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

Switching from Em to A:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

Em to A

Fish and Whistle chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Fish and Whistle.

  • Fish and Whistle includes 88 chord transitions, 4 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Fish and Whistle contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Fish and Whistle 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 G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
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.