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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.

Lee Greenwood - God Bless the USA Chords

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

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

DAG
IfDtomorrowallthethingsweregone,IGworkedforallmylife.
AndIEmhadtostartagain,justmyCchildrenandmyAwife.
IDthankmyGodabove,tobeF#mlivingheretoday.
‘CausetheEmflagstillstandsforfreedom.
AndtheyBmcan’ttakethataway…G
I’mAproudtobeanAmerican,whereatGleastIknowI’mDfree.
AndIAwon’tforgetthemenwhodied,andGgavethatrighttoDme.
AndI’llgladlyBmstandupDnexttoyou,and Gdefendherstill Dtoday.
‘CausethereEmain’tnodoubtIDlovethisland.
GodGBlessTheDUSA!AGDAG
FromtheDlakesofMinnesota,totheGhillsofTennessee.
EmAcrosstheplainsofTexas,fromCseatoshiningAsea.
FromDDetroitdowntoHouston,andF#mNewYorktoL.A.
There’sEmprideineveryAmericanheart.
Andit’sBmtimewestandandsay…G
I’mAproudtobeanAmerican,whereatGleastIknowI’mDfree.
AndIAwon’tforgetthemenwhodied,andGgavethatrighttoDme.
AndI’llgladlyBmstandupDnexttoyou,and Gdefendherstill Dtoday.
‘CausethereEmain’tnodoubtIDlovethisland.
GodGBlessTheBmUSA!G
I’mAproudtobeanAmerican,whereatGleastIknowI’mDfree.
AndIAwon’tforgetthemenwhodied,andGgavethatrighttoDme.
AndI’llgladlyBmstandupDnexttoyou,and Gdefendherstill Dtoday.
‘CausethereEmain’tnodoubtIDlovethisland.
GodGBlessATheGUASDA!
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.
ArtistLee Greenwood
AlbumYou've Got a Good Love Comin'
GenresCountry
Year1984
KeyD
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play God Bless the U.S.A. on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Lee Greenwood - God Bless the U.S.A. on guitar requires 7 chords and 12 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.

God Bless the U.S.A. uses these transitions most often: G → D (13), A → G (10), and D → G (8). 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

To move 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 6 times.

D to A

2. A → G chord transition

Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from A to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

A to G

3. G → D chord transition

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

To move from G to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

G to D

4. G → Em chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

Switching from G to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

G to Em

5. Em → C chord transition

To move from Em to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

6. C → A chord transition

Here's how to move from C to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

7. D → F#m chord transition

To move from D to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

8. F#m → Em chord transition

Switching from F#m to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

9. Em → Bm chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

10. Bm → G chord transition

Switching 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 3 times.

11. D → Bm chord transition

Switching 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 chorus, played 3 times.

12. D → Em chord transition

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 3 times.

God Bless the U.S.A. chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in God Bless the U.S.A..

  • God Bless the U.S.A. includes 73 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • God Bless the U.S.A. contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how God Bless the U.S.A. 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%
    • G → Em: 9%
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.