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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.

Elton John - I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Em, F, G, Bm, B7, Dm, Am, D
Strumming↓-↓↓↑

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

CEmFCEmF
GDon’twishitaway
Don’tEmlookatFit’slikeit’s CforeverFCFC
CBetweenyouandGmeIcouldhonestlyBmsay
ThatFthingscanonlygetCbetterFCFC
AndCwhileI’m Gaway,B7dustoutthedemons Eminside
DmAnditwon’tbeClongbeforeEmyouandmeGrun
TotheplaceinourAmheartsFwhereweGhideCGAmG
AndICguessthat’swhytheyGcallittheFblues
TimeonmyChands,couldbeGtimespentwithFyou
CLaughinglikeGchildren,livinglikeAmlovers,
CrollinglikeFthunder,undertheDcovers
AndIFguessthat’swhytheyGcallittheCbluesEmF
GJuststareintospace
EmPicturemyFfaceinyourChandsFCFC
CLiveforeach Gsecondwithout Bmhesitation
AndFneverforgetI’myourCmanFCFC
CWaitonmeGgirl,B7cryintheEmnightifitGhelps
ButDmmorethanCeverIsimplyloveGyou
MorethanIAmloveFlife GitselfCGAmG
AndICguessthat’swhytheyGcallittheFblues
TimeonmyChands,couldbeGtimespentwithFyou
CLaughinglikeGchildren,livinglikeAmlovers,
CrollinglikeFthunder,undertheDcovers
AndIFguessthat’swhytheyGcallittheCbluesCGF
CWaitonmeGgirl,B7cryintheEmnightifitEmhelps
ButDmmorethanCeverIsimplyloveGyou
MorethanIAmloveFlife GitselfCGAmG
AndICguessthat’swhytheyGcallittheFblues
TimeonmyChands,couldbeGtimespentwithFyou
CLaughinglikeGchildren,livinglikeAmlovers,
CrollinglikeFthunder,undertheDcovers
AndIFguessthat’swhytheyGcallittheCbluesEmF
AndIFguessthat’swhytheyGcallittheCblues
AndIFguessthat’swhytheyGcallittheCblues
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.
ArtistElton John
AlbumToo Low for Zero
GenresPop, Soft Rock
Year1983
KeyG
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Elton John - I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues on guitar requires 9 chords and 17 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 Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues uses these transitions most often: C → G (20), F → C (20), and C → F (12). 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 C - Em chord transition.

1. C → Em chord transition

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

Switching 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 verse, played 5 times.

C to Em

2. Em → F chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

Switching from Em to F:

  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 A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on E string fret 1.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

Em to F

3. F → C chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Here's how to move from F to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 20 times.

F to C

4. F → G chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from F to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

F to G

5. G → Em chord transition

Here's how to move 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 verse, played 2 times.

6. C → G chord transition

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 20 times.

7. G → Bm chord transition

Here's how to move from G to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

8. Bm → F chord transition

Switching from Bm to F:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

9. G → B7 chord transition

Here's how to move from G to B7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

10. B7 → Em chord transition

To move from B7 to Em:

  1. While playing B7, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

11. Em → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move 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, played 2 times.

12. Dm → C chord transition

To move from Dm to C:

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

13. G → Am chord transition

Switching from G to Am:

  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 G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

14. Am → F chord transition

To move from Am to F:

  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 G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

15. Am → C chord transition

To move from Am to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

16. F → D chord transition

To move from F to D:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

17. G → Dm chord transition

Switching from G to Dm:

  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 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus.

I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues.

  • I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues includes 135 chord transitions, 17 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how I Guess That's Why They Call It The Blues connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → Am: 13%
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.