Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Helpless Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
[Opening]
[D] [A] [G]
[D] There is a [A] town in north [G] Ontario,
[D] with dreams, [A] comfort, and [G] memories to spare,
[D] and in my [A] mind I still [G] need a place to go,
[D] all my [A] changes were [G] there.
[D] blue, blue [A] windows [G] behind the stars,
[D] yellow [A] moon on the [G] rise,
[D] big birds [A] flying [G] across the sky,
throwing [D] shadows [A] on our [G] eyes. Leave us
[D] Helpless, [A] helpless, help- [G] less,
[D] Helpless, [A] helpless, help- [G] less,
[D] Helpless, [A] helpless, help- [G] less
[D] [A] [G]
[D] Blue, blue [A] windows [G] behind the stars,
[D] yellow [A] moon on the [G] rise,
[D] big birds [A] flying [G] across the sky,
throwing [D] shadows [A] on our [G] eyes. Leave us
[D] Helpless, [A] helpless, help- [G] less,
[D] Helpless, [A] helpless, help- [G] less,
[D] Helpless, [A] helpless, help- [G] less
[D] [A] [G]
[D] Baby [A] can you hear me [G] now?
[D] the chains are [A] locked and [G] tied across the door,
[D] baby, [A] sing with me [G] somehow.
[D] Helpless, [A] helpless, help- [G] less,
[D] Helpless, [A] helpless, help- [G] less,
[D] Helpless, [A] helpless, help- [G] less
How to play Helpless on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Helpless 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.
Helpless uses these transitions most often: A → G (27), D → A (27), and G → D (26). 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
To move from D to A;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 3 to fret 2.
2. A → G chord transition
To move from A to G;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
3. G → D chord transition
To move from G to D;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
Helpless chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Helpless.
- Helpless includes 80 chord transitions, 3 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Helpless contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Helpless 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 → A: 17%
After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).- A → G: 13%