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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.

James Arthur - Hold On Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, Bm, Em, C, Am, D, B, Cm, F
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

GBmEmC
GEmptyBmglancesandnoromanceEmconversationConlyhi
GYouknowmyBmwaysandhowtoplaymeEm
IamjustyourhabitforCkillingtime
AndIEmknowit’sallCwrongbutEmIjustdon’tfeelCstrong.
SoIEmkeepholdingon,CandICaskyou,IaskyouCpleaseto…
GHoldmeBmbeforeyougo,wedon’tAmholdeach EmotherDanymore.
AndGkissmelikeyouBmissme.
‘CauseitCfeelslikewe’rejustCmfeelslikewe’reholdingGon.
GBmEmC
GWeonlytalkwhenthingsgoBmwrongweneverseemtohavemuchEmfun
FYourlifeisalwaysontherunawayfromme.,GItrytofixitmakeitBmright
ButyoufeelcoldinbedatEmnight,FwhenIholdyoucloseuptight
Istillmissyou…
AndIEmknowit’sallCwrongbutEmIjustdon’tfeelCstrong.
SoIEmkeepholdingon,CandICaskyou,IaskyouCplease.
JustGholdmeBmbeforeyougo,wedon’tAmholdeachotherEmanymore.
AndGkissmelikeyouBmissme.
‘CauseitCfeelslikewe’rejustCmfeelslikewe’reholdingGon.
BmTherewasatimewhenourEmloveitwassosweet
AndAmnothingstoodbetweenBmusandtheworldseemssocomplete
DAndnowitfeelslikethere’sEmnoearthbeneathmyfeet
AndI‘mAmfallingintodarkness,andit’sCmyouIneedtoDsee.CmD
GHoldmeBmbeforeyougo,wedon’tAmholdeach EmotherDanymore.
AndGkissmelikeyouBmissme.
‘CauseitCfeelslikewe’rejustCmfeelslikewe’reholdingGon.
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.
ArtistJames Arthur
AlbumSins by the Sea
GenresFolk, Pop
Year2011
KeyG
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Hold On on Guitar (Step-by-step)

James Arthur - Hold On on guitar requires 9 chords and 17 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.

Hold On uses these transitions most often: Em → C (10), G → Bm (10), and Bm → Em (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 G - Bm chord transition.

1. G → Bm chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram

Here's how to move from G to Bm:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E 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 10 times.

G to Bm

2. Bm → Em chord transition

Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from Bm to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

Bm to Em

3. Em → C chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Switching 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, played 10 times.

Em to C

4. C → G chord transition

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

Here's how to move from C 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 A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

C to G

5. Bm → Am chord transition

Here's how 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 chorus, played 3 times.

6. Am → Em chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to Em:

  1. While playing Am, 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 G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

7. Em → D chord transition

Here's how 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 chorus, played 3 times.

8. 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 chorus, played 4 times.

9. G → B chord transition

Switching from G to B:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

10. B → C chord transition

To move from B to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

11. C → Cm chord transition

Here's how to move from C to Cm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

12. Cm → G chord transition

To move from Cm to G:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

13. Em → F chord transition

Switching from Em to F:

  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 A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on E string fret 1.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

14. F → G chord transition

Here's how to move from F to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

15. Bm → D chord transition

Here's how to move from Bm to D:

  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 G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from B string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from D string fret 4 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

16. Am → Cm chord transition

To move from Am to Cm:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

17. Cm → D chord transition

To move from Cm to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

Hold On chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Hold On.

  • Hold On includes 75 chord transitions, 17 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Hold On contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Hold On 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 → D: 18%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → Em: 8%
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.