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Tom Petty - It’s Good To Be King Chords

ChordsEm, Am, D, A, G, C
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

EmAmDEmEmAmDEm
It’sgoodtobeEmking,ifjustforaAmwhile
TobethereinDvelvet,yeahtogivethemaEmsmile
It’sgoodtogetEmhighandnevercomeAmdown
It’sgoodtobeDkingofyourownlittleEmtown
YeahtheAworldwouldswingohifDIwereGking
CCanGIDhelpitif,ICstillGdreamEmtimeAtotime
It’sgoodtobeEmkingandhaveyourownAmway
GetafeelingofDpeaceattheendoftheEmday
AndwhenyourbulldogEmbarksandyourcanaryAmsings
You’reouttherewithDwinners,it’sgoodtobeEmking
Yeah,AI’llbekingwhenDdogsgetGwings
CCanGIDhelpitif,CIGstillEmdreamtimetotime
It’sgoodtobeEmkingandhaveyourownAmworld
IthelpstomakeDfriends,it’sgoodtomeetEmgirls
AsweetlittleEmqueen,whocan’trunAmaway
It’sgoodtobeDking,whateveritEmpays(noriff)
CExcuseGmeDifIChaveGsomeDplaceinmymind
CWhereGIEmgoAtimetotime
EmAmDEmEmAmDEm
ArtistTom Petty
AlbumWildflowers
GenresPop, Pop Rock, Rock
Year1994
KeyEm
DifficultyEasy

How to play It's Good To Be King on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Tom Petty - It's Good To Be King on guitar requires 6 chords and 10 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.

It's Good To Be King uses these transitions most often: Am → D (10), D → Em (10), and Em → Am (10). 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 - Am chord transition.

1. 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 10 times.

Em to Am

2. 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 10 times.

Am to D

3. D → Em chord transition

Switching from D to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

D to Em

4. Em → A chord transition

Switching from Em to A:

  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 2.
  3. Place index finger on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

Em to A

5. A → D chord transition

Switching 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, played 2 times.

6. D → G chord transition

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 2 times.

7. 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 verse, played 2 times.

8. D → C chord transition

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.

9. G → Em chord transition

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 3 times.

10. Em → C chord transition

To move from Em to C:

  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 A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse.

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in It's Good To Be King.

  • It's Good To Be King includes 61 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • It's Good To Be King contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how It's Good To Be King connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 26%
    • Em → Am: 12%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Em: 17%