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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.

Jimmy Nail - Big River Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, F, Am, Em, Dm, G, G7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

CWalkingonFcobblestone,ClittlebitsofFskinandbone
AmJumpingonaEmtramcarforaDmrideG
CIcanFrememberwhen,CIwasjustaFboyoften,
AmHanging EmaroundtheoldquayDmsideG
FNowallthe CcapstansandtheAmcargoboatsandFstevedoresaregone
AmtowheretheColdshipsgo,butDmmemories
justG7liketheseasliveCon
CThatwaswhencoalFwasking,CtheriverwasaFlivingthing
AmandIwasjustaEmboybutitwasDmmine,G7thecoalyCTyneF
GForthiswasaCbigFriver
IwantAmyoualltoEmknowthatIwasDmproud
GthiswasaCbigFriverbutAmthatwaslong Emago,
that’snotDmnow,G7,that’snotCnow
CFGG
CMyfatherwasaFworkingman,CheearnedourlivingFwithhishands
AmhehadtocrosstheEmrivereveryDmdayG
ChepickeduptheFunioncard
CoutoftheFNeptuneyard
AmmouthstoEmfeedandbillstoDmpayG7F
thencameaCtimeforhimtoAmsailacrosstheseaandFfaraway
finallyCwhenthatwarwasDmwon
theybroughthimG7homeandhomeheCstayed
CandwhenhisFdaysweredoneCunderaFgoldensun
AmtheytookhimbacktoEmwherehelongedtoDmbe
G7backtotheseaCF
GForthiswasaCbigFriver
IAmwantyoualltoEmknowthatIwasDmproud
GthiswasaCbigFriverbutAmthatwaslong Emago,
that’snotDmnowG,that’snotCnow
CTheNeptunewastheFlasttogo,CIhearditonmyFradio
AmthentheyplayedtheEmlatestnumberDmoneG
CButwhatdotheyFdoallday?
CwhataretheyFsupposedtosay?
AmwhatdoesaEmfathertellhisDmson?G7F
ifyou Cbelievethatthere’saAmbondbetweenourfutureFandourpast,
trytoholdContowhatwehave
DmwebuildthemG7strongwebuildtoClast
‘causethisisaFmightytown
CbuiltuponFsolidground
AmandeverythingtheyEmtriedsohardtoDmkill
G7wewill Crebuild
GForthiswasaCbigFriver
IAmwantyoualltoEmknowI’msoveryDmproud
GthisisaCbigbigFriver
AmandinmyheartIEmknowitwillriseDmagainG
GtheriverwillriseCagain!!!
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.
ArtistJimmy Nail
AlbumBig River
GenresCountry, Soul
Year1995
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Big River on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Jimmy Nail - Big River on guitar requires 7 chords and 12 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.

Big River uses these transitions most often: C → F (27), F → Am (16), and Am → Em (15). 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 - F chord transition.

1. C → F chord transition

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

Switching from C to F:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 27 times.

C to F

2. F → Am chord transition

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

To move from F to Am:

  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. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 16 times.

F to Am

3. Am → Em chord transition

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

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 verse, played 15 times.

Am to Em

4. Em → Dm chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Em to Dm:

  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 3.
  3. Place index finger on E string fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse, played 15 times.

Em to Dm

5. Dm → G chord transition

Switching from Dm to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G 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 9 times.

6. 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 verse, played 12 times.

7. G → F chord transition

Here's how to move from G to F:

  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 A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

8. C → Am chord transition

To move from C to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

9. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

10. Dm → G7 chord transition

Switching from Dm to G7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

11. G7 → C chord transition

To move from G7 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 1 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

12. G7 → F chord transition

To move from G7 to F:

  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 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

Big River chord transition analysis

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

  • Big River includes 141 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Big River contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Big River 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 F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
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.