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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.

James Arthur - I Am Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsEm, D, C, Am, G
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

EmWooDoohoohoohooh,CwooAmoohoohoohooh.
EmWooDoohoohoohooh,CwooAmoohoohoohooh.
EmI’maproblem,I’mtheDkiller,I’mtheCcure,IAmguess.
EmI’mtheend,I’mtheDbeginning,theCapocalypse.Am
IamEmsomethingfromnothing,IheardthemDsay.
CRagstotheriches,yourbestAmmistake.
EmI’mthefuture,I’mtheDrelic,I’mtheC”notdoneyet.”Am
DOh,Goh,GohCIGam,DforeverGmoreGI’llCbe.
WhatyouwannaEmbelieve.
AllIDknow,it’sCtoolateformetoAmchangeyourmind.
WhatyouwannaEmbelieve,DI’llletCgo,letyoudecide.Am
WhatyouwannaEmbelieve,DwhatCyouAmwannaEmbelieve.DCAm
EmI’mtheblaze,I’mtheDsiren,I’mtheCexitdoorAm
EmI’mthecape,I’mtheDvillain,I’mtheCmetaphorAm
OrI’maEmgoodguninabadman’swar,IDpavedtheway
I’maClefthook,I’mabatteredjaw,AmI’mthepain
EmI’mapreacher,I’maDsinner,I’maCbrokenLordAm
DOh,Goh,GohCIGam,DforeverGmoreGI’llCbe.
WhatyouwannaEmbelieve.
AllIDknow,it’sCtoolateformetoAmchangeyourmind.
WhatyouwannaEmbelieve,DI’llletCgo,letyoudecide.Am
WhatyouwannaEmbelieve,DwhatCyouAmwannaEmbelieve.DCAm
DWhoamGItoGtellyouwhatyouCthinkyousee?G
DItain’tmyGbusinesstoGtellyouwhattoCthinkofme.
WhatyouwannaEmbelieve.
AllIDknow,it’sCtoolateformetoAmchangeyourmind.
WhatyouwannaEmbelieve,DI’llletCgo,letyoudecide.Am
WhatyouwannaEmbelieve,DwhatCyouAmwannaEmbelieve.DCAm
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.
ArtistJames Arthur
AlbumBack from the Edge
GenresPop
Year2016
KeyEm
DifficultyEasy

How to play I Am on Guitar (Step-by-step)

James Arthur - I Am on guitar requires 5 chords and 8 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.

I Am uses these transitions most often: C → Am (22), D → C (22), and Em → D (22). 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 Em - D chord transition.

1. Em → D chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

Switching from Em to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 22 times.

Em to D

2. D → C chord transition

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

To move from D to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 22 times.

D to C

3. 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

Here's how 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, played 22 times.

C to Am

4. Am → Em chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 18 times.

Am to Em

5. 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 3 times.

6. D → G chord transition

Switching from D to G:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

7. G → C chord transition

To move from G 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 3 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

8. C → Em chord transition

To move from C to Em:

  1. While playing C, 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 A string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

I Am chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in I Am.

  • I Am includes 108 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • I Am contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how I Am 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 → G: 29%
    • D → C: 14%
    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.