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.

Burl Ives - A Holly Jolly Christmas Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG7, C, Cmaj7, G, F, Em, Dm, E7, Am, D7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

G7HaveaCHolly,Cmaj7JollyCChristmasCmaj7
It’stheCbesttimeGoftheG7year.
G7Idon’tknowifthere’llbesnow,
ButG7haveacupofCcheer.
G7HaveaCHolly,Cmaj7JollyCChristmasCmaj7
AndwhenCyouwalkGdowntheG7street..
G7sayhello,tofriendsyouknow..
AndG7everyoneyouCmeet.G7
FOh,ho,theEmmistletoe
DmhungwhereG7youcanCsee.
DmSomebodyAmwaitsforyou
D7kissheronceforGmeG7
G7HaveaCHolly,Cmaj7JollyCChristmasCmaj7
AndinCcaseyouGdidn’tG7hear,
G7Oh,bygolly,haveaCHolly,AmJolly
D7ChristmasG7thisCyear.
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.
ArtistBurl Ives
AlbumHave a Holly Jolly Christmas
GenresChristmas, Folk, Jazz, New Age, Pop
Year1965
KeyG
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play A Holly Jolly Christmas on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Burl Ives - A Holly Jolly Christmas on guitar requires 10 chords and 15 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.

A Holly Jolly Christmas uses these transitions most often: G7 → C (8), C → Cmaj7 (6), and Cmaj7 → C (6). 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 G7 - C chord transition.

1. 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

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 8 times.

G7 to C

2. C → Cmaj7 chord transition

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

Here's how to move from C 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. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

C to Cmaj7

3. 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 3 times.

C to G

4. 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

Switching 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

5. G7 → F chord transition

To move from G7 to F:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

6. F → Em chord transition

Switching from F to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

7. Em → Dm chord transition

Switching from Em to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

8. 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.

This transition appears in the verse.

9. 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.

This transition appears in the verse.

10. Dm → E7 chord transition

Switching from Dm to E7:

  1. While playing Dm, lift your ring finger from B string fret 3.
  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.

This transition appears in the verse.

11. E7 → Am chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse.

12. Am → D7 chord transition

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 to E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

13. D7 → G chord transition

Switching from D7 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 G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

14. C → Am chord transition

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.

This transition appears in the verse.

15. 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.

This transition appears in the verse.

A Holly Jolly Christmas chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in A Holly Jolly Christmas.

  • A Holly Jolly Christmas includes 41 chord transitions, 15 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • A Holly Jolly Christmas contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how A Holly Jolly Christmas connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C: 69%
    • G7 → F: 5%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → Am: 10%
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.