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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.

Tom Petty - I Won’t Back Down Chords

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

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

EmDGEmDG
Well,IEmwon’tDbackGdown,no,IEmwon’tDbackGdown,
YoucanEmstandmeDupattheCgatesofhell,butIEmwon’tDbackGdown
No,IEmstandDmyGground,won’tbeEmturnedDaround
AndIEmkeepthisDworldfromCdraggingmedown
GonnaEmstandDmyGground,andIEmwon’tDbackGdown
CHey,Gbaby,CthereGain’tDnoGeasyCwayGout
DHey,GI,CwillGstandDmyEmground,
AndIEmwon’tDbackGdown
Well,IEmknowDwhat’sGright,andIgotEmjustDoneGlife
InaEmworldthatDkeepsonCpushingmearound
ButIEmstandDmyGground,andIEmwon’tDbackGdown
CHey,Gbaby,CthereGain’tDnoGeasyCwayGout
DHey,GI,CwillGstandDmyEmground,
AndIEmwon’tDbackGdown
EmDGEmDGEmDCEmDGEmDG
CHey,Gbaby,CthereGain’tDnoGeasyCwayGout
DHey,GI,Cwon’tGbackDdown
CHey,Gbaby,CthereGain’tDnoGeasyCwayGout
DHey,GI,CwillGstandDmyEmground,
AndIEmwon’tDbackGdown,no,IEmwon’tDbackGdown
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.
ArtistTom Petty
AlbumFull Moon Fever
GenresPop, Rock
Year1989
KeyEm
DifficultyEasy

How to play I Won't Back Down on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Tom Petty - I Won't Back Down on guitar requires 4 chords and 6 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 Won't Back Down uses these transitions most often: D → G (33), Em → D (29), and G → Em (20). 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

To move 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 29 times.

Em to D

2. D → G chord transition

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

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 verse, played 33 times.

D to G

3. G → Em chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

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 20 times.

G to Em

4. 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 4 times.

D to C

5. C → Em chord transition

Here's how 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 verse, played 4 times.

6. 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 16 times.

I Won't Back Down chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in I Won't Back Down.

  • I Won't Back Down includes 138 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • I Won't Back Down contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how I Won't Back Down 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.