Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
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 - SOS Chords

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

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

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram
  • 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
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar G# | A♭ chord diagram Fingering: 4-3-1-1-1-x Barre at fret 1.Guitar G# | A♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am]Where are those happy [E]days - they seem so hard to [Am]find
[Am]I try to reach for [E]you but you have closed your [Am]eyes
[C]Whatever happened [G]to our love, [Dm]I wish I [Am]understood
[Am]It used to be so [E]nice it used to be so [Am]good [Dm]

[verse 2]
[C]So when your [G]near me, [Dm]darlin’ can’t you [F]hear me, [C]SOS
[C]The love you [G]gave me, [Dm]nothing else [F]could save [C]me, SOS
[F]When your gone, how can [G#]I even [A#]try to go [C]on
[F]When your gone, though it’s [G#]right how can [A#]I carry [C]on

[verse 3]
[C]I really tried to [G]make it up - [Dm]I wish I [Am]understood
[Am]It used to be so [E]nice, it used to be so [Am]good [Dm]
[C]So when your [G]near me, [Dm]darlin’ can’t you [F]hear me, [C]SOS
[C]The love you [G]gave me, [Dm]nothing else [F]could save [C]me, SOS

[Closing]
[F]When your gone, how can [G#]I even [A#]try to go [C]on
[F]When your gone, though it’s [G#]right how can [A#]I carry [C]on

Report Error
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
AlbumSingle
GenresPop
Year2012
KeyAm

How to play SOS on Guitar (Step-by-step)

James Arthur - SOS on guitar requires 8 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.

SOS uses these transitions most often: C → G (6), G → Dm (6), and A# → C (4). 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 Am - E chord transition.

1. Am → E chord transition

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

To move from Am to E;

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

2. Am → C chord transition

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

To move from Am to C;

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

3. 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

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.
C to G

4. G → Dm chord transition

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

To move from G to Dm;

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

5. Dm → Am chord transition

To move from Dm to Am;

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

6. Dm → C chord transition

To move from Dm to C;

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

7. Dm → F chord transition

To move from Dm to F;

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

8. F → C chord transition

To move from F to C;

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

9. F → G# chord transition

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

10. G# → A# chord transition

To move from G# to A#;

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

11. A# → C chord transition

To move from A# to C;

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

SOS chord transition analysis

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

  • SOS includes 51 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • SOS contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how SOS connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → C: 16%
    • Am → Dm: 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.