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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.

Alicia Keys - If I Ain’t Got You Chords

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

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

CBmAmG
GSomepeoplelivefortheEmfortune.
AmSomepeoplelivejustfortheDfame.
GSomepeoplelivefortheG#mpoweryeah.
AmSomepeoplelivejusttoplaytheDgame.
GSomepeopleAmthinkthattheBmphysicalAmthings.
GDefineAmwhat’s Bmwithin.
GI’vebeenthere Ambefore.
ButBmthatlife’saAmbore.
SoGfulloftheAmsuperficial.
SomepeopleCwantitall,butIdon’twantBmnothingatall.
Ifitain’tAmyoubaby,IfIain’tgotGyoubaby.
SomepeoplewantCdiamondrings,somejustwantBmeverything.
ButeverythingmeansAmnothing,IfIain’tgotGyou.
GSomepeoplesearchfora Emfountain.
AmPromisesforeveryoung.D
GSomepeopleneedthreedozenG#mroses.
AmAndthat’stheonlywaytoproveDyoulovethem.
GHandmetheAmworldonasilverBmplater.Am
AndGwhatAmgoodwouldBmitbe.
GNoonetoshare.Am
BmNoonewhoAmtrulyGcaresAmforBmme.
SomepeopleCwantitall,butIdon’twantBmnothingatall.
Ifitain’tAmyoubaby,IfIain’tgotGyoubaby.
SomepeoplewantCdiamondrings,somejustwantBmeverything.
ButeverythingmeansAmnothing,IfIain’tgotGyou.
C
BmIfIain’tgotyouwithme,Ambaby,Gooh.
SaidnothinginthisCwholewideworlddon’tmeanaBmthing.
ifIain’tgotyouwithme,Ambaby.G
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.
ArtistAlicia Keys
AlbumThe Diary of Alicia Keys
GenresR&B, Soul
Year2003
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play If I Ain't Got You on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Alicia Keys - If I Ain't Got You on guitar requires 7 chords and 11 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.

If I Ain't Got You uses these transitions most often: Am → G (11), Bm → Am (11), and Am → Bm (8). 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 - Bm chord transition.

1. C → Bm chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram

To move from C to Bm:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A 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 7 times.

C to Bm

2. Bm → Am chord transition

Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from Bm to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

Bm to Am

3. Am → G chord transition

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

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

Am to G

4. 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

Switching 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.

G to Em

5. Em → Am chord transition

To move from Em to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

6. 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 verse, played 4 times.

7. D → G chord transition

To move 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 4 times.

8. G → G#m chord transition

To move from G to G#m:

  1. While playing G, lift your middle finger from E string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 4.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 6.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 6.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

9. G#m → Am chord transition

To move from G#m to Am:

  1. While playing G#m, lift your pinky from D string fret 6.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 4 and place it on B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 6 to G string fret 2.
  4. Place middle finger on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

10. Bm → G chord transition

Switching from Bm to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

11. G → C chord transition

Here's how 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 4 times.

If I Ain't Got You chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in If I Ain't Got You.

  • If I Ain't Got You includes 69 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • If I Ain't Got You contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how If I Ain't Got You connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → G: 21%
    • Am → D: 7%
    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.