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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.

Taylor Swift - Illicit Affairs Chords

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

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

AF#mDE
AMakesurenobodyseesyouF#mleave,hoodoveryourhead,keepyoureyesDdown
Tellyourfriendsyou’reoutforC#marun,you’llbeEflushedwhenyoureturn
ATaketheroadlessF#mtraveledby,tellyourselfyoucanalwaysDstop
WhatstartedinbeautifulC#mrooms,endswithEmeetingsinparkinglots
C#mAndthat’sthethingaboutDillicitaffairs
AndEclandestinemeetingsandAlongingstares
It’sC#mbornfromjustoneDsingleglance
ButitEdiesanditdiesanditdies,aAmillionlittletimes
ALeavetheperfumeontheF#mshelf,thatyoupickedoutjustforDhim
SoyouleavenotraceC#mbehind,likeyouEdon’tevenexist
ATakethewordsforwhattheyF#mare,adwindling,mercurialDhigh
AdrugthatonlyC#mworked,theEfirstfewhundredtimes
C#mAndthat’sthethingaboutDillicitaffairs
AndEclandestinemeetingsandAstolenstares
TheyC#mshowtheirtruthDonesingletime
ButEtheylieandtheylieandtheylie,aAmillionlittletimes
AndyouwannaAscream,Adon’tcallme“kid,”don’tcallme“baby”
F#mLookatthisgodforsakenmessthatyoumademe
DYoushowedmecolorsyouC#mknow,Ican’tseewithEanyoneelse
ADon’tcallme“kid,”don’tcallme“baby”
F#mLookatthisidioticfoolthatyoumademe
DYoutaughtmeasecretC#mlanguageIcan’tspeakwithEanyoneelse
AndyouF#mknowAdamnDwell
Foryou,IwouldEruinmyself,Aamillionlittletimes
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.
ArtistTaylor Swift
Albumfolklore
GenresFolk, Indie, Indie Folk
Year2020
KeyA
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Illicit Affairs on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Taylor Swift - Illicit Affairs on guitar requires 5 chords and 9 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.

Illicit Affairs uses these transitions most often: E → A (9), A → F#m (7), and F#m → D (7). 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 A - F#m chord transition.

1. A → F#m chord transition

Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram

To move from A to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

A to F#m

2. F#m → D chord transition

Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from F#m to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

F#m to D

3. D → E chord transition

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

To move from D to E:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

D to E

4. E → A chord transition

Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

To move from E to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

E to A

5. D → C#m chord transition

To move from D to C#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

6. C#m → E chord transition

Switching from C#m to E:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

7. A → C#m chord transition

To move from A to C#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

8. E → F#m chord transition

Switching from E to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

9. A → D chord transition

Here's how to move from A to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

Illicit Affairs chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Illicit Affairs.

  • Illicit Affairs includes 52 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Illicit Affairs contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Illicit Affairs connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → D: 29%
    • A → F#m: 6%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → E: 3%
    • D → C#m: 0%
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.