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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.

Joni Mitchell - River Chords

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

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

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

[chorus]
[C] [Am] [C] [Am] [C] [Am] [G]
It’s [F]coming on [C]Christmas
They’re [F]cutting down [C]trees
They’re [F]putting up [C]reindeer
And singing songs of [F]joy and [C]peace
Oh, I [Am]wish I had a river I could [G]skate away on

[Opening]
But [F]it don’t [C]snow here
It [F]stays pretty [C]green
I’m going to [F]make a lot of [C]money
Then I’m going to quit this [F]crazy [C]scene
Oh, I [Am]wish I had a river I could [G]skate away on

[verse 2]
I [F]wish I had a river so [G]long
I would [C]teach my feet to [F]fly [Am] [Dm]wooh
I [C]wish I had a [F]river I could [G]skate away [C]on
[C]I made my [G]baby [C]cry

[verse 3]
He [F]tried hard to [C]help me
You know, he [F]put me at [C]ease
And he [F]loved me so [C]naughty
Made me [F]weak in the [C]knees
Oh, I [Am]wish I had a river I could [G]skate away on

[verse 4]
I’m [F]so hard to [C]handle
I’m [F]selfish and I’m [C]sad
Now I’ve [F]gone and lost the [C]best baby
That [F]I ever [C]had
Oh, I [Am]wish I had a river I could [G]skate away on

[Closing]
I [F]wish I had a river so [G]long
I would [C]teach my feet to [F]fly [Am] [Dm]wooh
I [C]wish I had a [F]river I could [G]skate away [C]on
[C]I made my [G]baby say good[C]bye

[chorus]
It’s [F]coming on [C]Christmas
They’re [F]cutting down [C]trees
They’re [F]putting up [C]reindeer
And singing songs of [F]joy and [C]peace
Oh, I [Am]wish I had a river I could [G]skate away on

[outro]
[C] [Am] [C] [Am] [C] [Am] [Am]

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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.
ArtistJoni Mitchell
AlbumBlue
GenresFolk, Folk Rock, Rock
Year1971
KeyC

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

Joni Mitchell - River on guitar requires 5 chords and 8 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.

River uses these transitions most often: C → F (21), F → C (20), and C → Am (11). 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 - Am chord transition.

1. C → Am chord transition

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

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.
C to Am

2. Am → G chord transition

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

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
Am to G

3. G → F chord transition

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

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.
G to F

4. F → C chord transition

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

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.
F to C

5. 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.

6. F → Am chord transition

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.

7. Am → Dm chord transition

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.

8. 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.

River chord transition analysis

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

  • River includes 86 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • River contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how 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.