Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young - Helpless Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
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.
This transition appears in the verse, played 27 times.
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.
This transition appears in the verse, played 27 times.
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.
This transition appears in the verse, played 26 times.
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%