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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.

Electric Light Orchestra - Hold On Tight Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, D, G7, C, Em, Bm, Am, Am7, D7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

GHoldonDtighttoyourGdreamG7
CHoldontighttoyourGdream
CWhenyouseeyourGshipgosailing
CWhenyoufeelyourGheartisbreaking
GHoldonDtight,toyourGdream.
GItsalongDtimetobeGgoneG7
CTimejustrollsonandGon
CWhenyouneedaGshouldertocryon
CWhenyougetsoGsickoftrying
GJustholdonDtight,toyourGdream
WhenyouEmgetsoBmdownthatyouEmcantgetBmup
AndyouAmwantsoDmuchbutyou’reAmalloutofDluck
Whenyou’reEmso BmdownheartedandEmmisunderstood
JustAm7overandBmoverandCoveryouD7couldD
GAccrochestoiatonGreveG7
CAccrochestoiatonGreve
CQuandtuvoistonGbateaupartir
CQuandtusentstonGcoeursebriser
GAccrochestoi,atonGreve.
WhenyouEmgetsoBmdownthatyouEmcantgetBmup
AndyouAmwantsoDmuchbutyou’reAmalloutofDluck
Whenyou’reEmso BmdownheartedandEmmisunderstood
JustAm7overandBmoverandCoveryouD7couldD
GHoldonDtighttoyourGdreamG7
CHoldontighttoyourGdream
CWhenyouseetheGshadowsfalling
CWhenyouhearthatGcoldwindcalling
GHoldonDtighttoyourGdream.
GOh,yeah
GHoldonDtighttoyourGdream
GHoldonDtight,
GToyourdream.DG
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.
ArtistElectric Light Orchestra
AlbumTime
GenresRock
Year1981
KeyG
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Hold On Tight on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Electric Light Orchestra - Hold On Tight on guitar requires 9 chords and 13 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.

Hold On Tight uses these transitions most often: D → G (13), C → G (12), and G → D (11). 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 G - D chord transition.

1. 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 11 times.

G to D

2. G → G7 chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

To move from G to G7:

  1. Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

G to G7

3. G7 → C chord transition

Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

G7 to C

4. C → G chord transition

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

Here's how to move from C to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

C to G

5. G → Em chord transition

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 chorus, played 2 times.

6. Em → Bm chord transition

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 chorus, played 8 times.

7. Bm → Am chord transition

Here's how to move from Bm to Am:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

8. Am → D chord transition

To move from Am to D:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

9. 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 2 times.

10. Bm → Am7 chord transition

To move from Bm to Am7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

11. Bm → C chord transition

To move from Bm to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

12. C → D7 chord transition

Here's how to move from C to D7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

13. D7 → D chord transition

To move from D7 to D:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

Hold On Tight chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Hold On Tight.

  • Hold On Tight includes 86 chord transitions, 13 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Hold On Tight contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Hold On Tight connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → D: 24%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Em: 17%
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.