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.

Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsDm, Gm, Am, Gm7
Strumming↓↑-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to A key to play this song with easier chords.

DmIshottheSheriffGmbutIdidn’tshootnoDmdeputy
DmIshottheSheriffGmbutIdidn’tshootnoDmdeputy
GmAll AmaroundinmyDmhometown
GmThey’reAmtryingtotrackmeDmdown
GmTheyAmsaytheywanttobringmeDminguilty
FortheGmkillingofaAmdeputy
FortheGmlifeofaAmdeputyButIsay(riff)
DmIshottheSheriffGmbutIswearitwasinDmself-defence
DmIshottheSheriffGmandtheysayitisaDmcapitaloffence
GmSheriffAmJohnBrownalwaysDmhatedme
GmForAmwhatIdon’tDmknow
GmEveryAmtimeIDmplantaseed
HesaidGmkillit AmbeforeitDmgrows
HesaidGmkillthem AmbeforetheyDmgrowAndso(riff)
DmIshottheSheriffGmbutIswearitwasinDmself-defence
DmIshottheSheriffGmbutIswearitwasinDmself-defence
GmFreedomAmcamemywayDmoneday
GmAndIAmstartedoutofDmtown
GmAllofaAmsuddenIsawDmSheriffJohnBrown
GmAimingtoAmshootmeDmdown
SoIGmshotIAmshotIshothimDmdownButIsay(riff)
DmIshottheSheriffGmbutIdidnotshoottheDmdeputy
DmIshottheSheriffGmbutIdidnotshoottheDmdeputy
GmReflexesAmgottheDmbetterofme
GmAndwhatistoAmbemustDmbe
GmEveryAmdaythebucketgoesDmtothewell
GmButoneAmdaythebottomDmwilldropout
Gm7OneAmdaythebottomDmwilldropoutIsay(riff)
DmIshottheSheriffGmbutIdidnotshoottheDmdeputy
DmIshottheSheriffGmbutIdidnotshootnoDmdeputy
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.
ArtistEric Clapton
Album461 Ocean Boulevard
GenresPop, Reggae, Soft Rock
Year1974
KeyDm
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play I Shot The Sheriff on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Eric Clapton - I Shot The Sheriff on guitar requires 4 chords and 5 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 Shot The Sheriff uses these transitions most often: Dm → Gm (29), Am → Dm (20), and Gm → Am (19). 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 Dm - Gm chord transition.

1. Dm → Gm chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram

To move from Dm to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 29 times.

Dm to Gm

2. Gm → Am chord transition

Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from Gm to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 19 times.

Gm to Am

3. Am → Dm chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 20 times.

Am to Dm

4. Dm → Gm7 chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar Gm7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-x-3-3-3-x Barre at fret 3.Guitar Gm7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from Dm to Gm7:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

Dm to Gm7

5. Gm7 → Am chord transition

Switching from Gm7 to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

I Shot The Sheriff chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in I Shot The Sheriff.

  • I Shot The Sheriff includes 80 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • I Shot The Sheriff contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how I Shot The Sheriff connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → Gm: 5%
    • Dm → Gm7: 0%
    After Gm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (15%), F (12%), and Dm (10%).
    • Gm → Dm: 10%
    • Gm → Am: 6%
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.