Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
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 - Friends Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsA, E7, B, C#m, F#m
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

We’renot,nowe’renotAfriendsE7norhaveweeverbeen
WejustBtrytoC#mkeepthosesecretsinalie
AndiftheyAfindout,willitE7allgowrong
AndheavenBknows,noonewantsAittoE7
SoIcouldtaketheC#mbackroad
ButyoureyeswillleadmeAstraightbackBhome
AndifyouAknowmelikeIE7knowyou
YoushouldBloveme,youshouldknow
ThatE7friendsjustsleepinanotherF#mbed
AndAfriendsdon’tBtreatmelikeyouE7do
WellC#mIknowthatthere’sAalimittoE7everything
ButmyAfriendsBwon’tlovemelikeE7you
NomyAfriendsBwon’tlovemelikeE7you
We’renotAfriendsE7wecouldbeanything
IfweBtrytoC#mkeepthosesecretssafe
NoonewillAfindoutifitE7allwentwrong
SoIcouldtaketheC#mbackroad
ButyoureyeswillleadmeAstraightbackBhome
AndifyouAknowmelikeIE7knowyou
YoushouldBloveme,youshouldknow
ThatE7friendsjustsleepinanotherF#mbed
AndAfriendsdon’tBtreatmelikeyouE7do
WellC#mIknowthatthere’sAalimittoE7everything
ButmyAfriendsBwon’tlovemelikeE7you
NomyAfriendsBwon’tlovemelikeE7you
ButthenAagain,ifwe’renotfriends
SomeoneC#melsemightloveyou,Btoo
AndthenAagain,ifwe’renotfriends
There’dbeC#mnothingIcouldBdo
Andthat’swhyE7friendsshouldsleepinotherF#mbeds
AndAfriendsshouldn’tBkissmelikeyouE7do
AndC#mIknowthatthere’saAlimittoE7everything
ButmyAfriendsBwon’tlovemelikeE7you
NomyAfriendswon’tBlovemelikeyouE7do
NomyAfriendswillneverBlovemelikeE7you
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
Albumx
GenresPop
Year2014
KeyA
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Friends on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Ed Sheeran - Friends on guitar requires 5 chords and 8 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.

Friends uses these transitions most often: B → E7 (13), A → B (12), and A → E7 (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 A - E7 chord transition.

1. A → E7 chord transition

Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram

To move from A to E7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

A to E7

2. E7 → B chord transition

Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram
Guitar B chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar B chord diagram

Switching from E7 to B:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

E7 to B

3. B → C#m chord transition

Guitar B chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar B chord diagram
Guitar C#m | D♭m chord diagram Fingering: x-4-2-1-2-xGuitar C#m | D♭m chord diagram

Switching from B to C#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

B to C#m

4. C#m → A chord transition

Guitar C#m | D♭m chord diagram Fingering: x-4-2-1-2-xGuitar C#m | D♭m chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

Switching from C#m to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

C#m to A

5. B → A chord transition

To move from B to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

6. E7 → C#m chord transition

Here's how to move from E7 to C#m:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 5 times.

7. E7 → F#m chord transition

Here's how to move from E7 to F#m:

  1. While playing E7, lift your middle finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 4.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 4.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

8. F#m → A chord transition

To move from F#m to A:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

Friends chord transition analysis

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

  • Friends includes 77 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Friends connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → E7: 4%
    • A → B: 4%
    After E7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are A (31%), Am (28%), and A7 (7%).
    • E7 → A: 31%
    • E7 → B: 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.