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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.

Buddy Holly - Heartbeat Chords

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

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

AE7AE7
AHeartbeat,whydoyouDmisswhenmyE7babykissesAme?
E7AE7
AHeartbeat,whydoesaDlovekissstayE7inmy Amemory?
E7ADA
E7Riddle-dee-pat,IDknowthatnewloveAthrillsme,
E7IDknowthattrueloveAwillbe..E7
AHeartbeat,whydoyouDmiss
WhenmyE7babykissesAme?
E7AE7
ADE7AE7AE7
AHeartbeat,whydoyouDskip
WhenmyE7baby’slipsmeetAmine?
E7AE7
AHeartbeat,whydoyouDflip,
ThengiveE7measkip-beatAsign?
E7ADA
E7Riddle-dee-apt,andDsingtomelove’sAstory
E7AndDbringtomelove’sAgloryE7
AHeartbeat,whydoyouDmiss
WhenmyE7babykissesAme?
E7AE7
AE7A
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.
ArtistBuddy Holly
AlbumSingle
GenresPop
Year1959
KeyA
DifficultyEasy

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

Buddy Holly - Heartbeat on guitar requires 3 chords and 3 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.

Heartbeat uses these transitions most often: E7 → A (24), A → E7 (21), and A → D (9). 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

Here's how 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 chorus, played 21 times.

A to E7

2. A → D chord transition

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

Switching from A to D:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 9 times.

A to D

3. D → E7 chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from D to E7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 7 times.

D to E7

Heartbeat chord transition analysis

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

  • Heartbeat includes 71 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Heartbeat contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Heartbeat 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 → D: 29%
    • A → E7: 4%
    After E7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are A (31%), Am (28%), and A7 (7%).
    • E7 → A: 31%
    • E7 → D: 6%
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.