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.

Louis Armstrong - Hello Dolly Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Am, Cmaj7, B7, Dm, G7, Bb, F, E7, Em, D7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar Cmaj7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-3-2-0-0-0Guitar Cmaj7 chord diagram
  • Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram

[chorus]
Hello, [C]Dolly, this is [Am]Louis Dolly,
it’s so [Cmaj7]nice to have you [B7]back where [C]you be[Dm]long. [G7]
You’re looking [Dm]swell, Dolly, I can [Bb]tell, Dolly,
you’re still [Dm]glowin’, you’re still [G7]growin’,
you’re still [C]go[C]in’ [G7]strong.

[Opening]
I feel the [C]room swayin’, for the [Am]band’s playin’,
one of [Bb]our old fav’rite [C]songs from way back [F]when, [E7]so.
[Am]Take her [Em]wrap, fellas, [Am]find her an empty [Em]lap, fellas,
[D7]Dolly’ll never [G7]go away a[C]gain [C] [Dm] [G7].

[chorus]
Hello, [C]Dolly, this is [Am]Louis Dolly,
It’s so [Cmaj7]nice to have you [B7]back where [C]you be[Dm]long [G7]
You’re looking [Dm]swell, Dolly, I can [Bb]tell, Dolly,
you’re still [Dm]glowin’, you’re still [G7]growin’,
you’re still [C]go[C]in’ [G7]strong.

[Closing]
I feel the [C]room swayin’, for the [Am]band’s playin’,
one of [Bb]our old fav’rite [C]songs from way back [F]when, [E7]so.
[Am]Golly [Em]gee, fellas, [Am]have a little faith in [Em]me, fellas,
[D7]Dolly’ll never [G7]go away, I said…[D7]Dolly’ll never [G7]go away,
[D7]Dolly’ll never [G7]go away a[C]gain. [G7] [C]

Report Error
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.
ArtistLouis Armstrong
AlbumLive Recording
GenresJazz
Year1962
KeyC

How to play Hello Dolly on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Louis Armstrong - Hello Dolly on guitar requires 11 chords and 16 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.

Hello Dolly uses these transitions most often: G7 → C (8), Dm → G7 (5), and Am → Em (4). 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 C - Am chord transition.

1. C → Am chord transition

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

To move from C to Am;

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

2. Am → Cmaj7 chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar Cmaj7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-3-2-0-0-0Guitar Cmaj7 chord diagram

To move from Am to Cmaj7;

  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 E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
Am to Cmaj7

3. Cmaj7 → B7 chord transition

Guitar Cmaj7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-3-2-0-0-0Guitar Cmaj7 chord diagram
Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram

To move from Cmaj7 to B7;

  1. Slide your index finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 2.
Cmaj7 to B7

4. B7 → C chord transition

Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

To move from B7 to C;

  1. While playing B7, lift your pinky from E string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from D string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
B7 to C

5. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  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 3.

6. Dm → G7 chord transition

To move from Dm to G7;

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 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 3 and place it on E string fret 1.

7. Dm → Bb chord transition

To move from Dm to Bb;

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

8. G7 → C chord transition

To move from G7 to C;

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

9. Am → Bb chord transition

To move from Am 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. Slide your ring finger on G string from fret 2 to fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.

10. Bb → C chord transition

To move from Bb to C;

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

11. C → F chord transition

To move from C to F;

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

12. F → E7 chord transition

To move from F to E7;

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

13. E7 → Am chord transition

To move from E7 to Am;

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

14. Am → Em chord transition

To move from Am to Em;

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

15. Em → D7 chord transition

To move from Em to D7;

  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 E string fret 2.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.

16. D7 → G7 chord transition

To move from D7 to G7;

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

Hello Dolly chord transition analysis

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

  • Hello Dolly includes 59 chord transitions, 16 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Hello Dolly contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Hello Dolly connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → F: 16%
    • C → Am: 10%
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C: 69%
    • G7 → Dm: 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.