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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.

Cold Chisel - Khe Sanh Chords

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

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

IEmleftmyhearttotheCsappersroundKheGSanhD
AndmyEmsoulwassoldwithmyCcigarettestotheDblackmarketman
EmI’vehadtheVietnamcoldCturkeyfromtheoceantothesilverGcity
Andit’sAmonlyotherFvetscould DunderstandGD
AbouttheEmlongforgottenCdockside GguaranteeCG
DHowtherewereEmnoV-dayCheroesinD1973
HowweEmsailedintoSydneyCHarbourGsawanoldfriendbutcouldn’tCkissher
ShewaslinedandAmIwasDhometotheluckyGlandCG
DAndshewasEmlikesomanyCmorefromthattimeGon
DTheirEmliveswereallsoCemptytillthey’dDfoundtheirchosenone
AndtheirEmlegswereoftenCopenbuttheirGmindswerealwaysCclosed
AndtheirAmheartswereheldinFfastsuburbanDchains
AndtheEmlegalpadswereCyellow,hoursGlong,paypacketlean
AndtheEmtelexwritersCclatteredwheretheDgunshipsoncehadbeen
ButtheEmcarparksmademeCjumpyandIGneverstoppedtheCdreams
OrtheAmgrowingneedforDspeedand Gnovocaine
DSoIEmworkedacrosstheCcountryendtoGend
DTriedtoEmfindaplacetoCsettledownwheremyDmixeduplifecouldmend
HeldaEmjobonanCoilrigflyingGchopperswhenCIcould
ButtheAmnightlifenearlyFdroveme‘roundtheDbend
AndI’veEmtravelled‘roundtheCworldfromyeartoGyear
DAndEmeachone’sfoundmeCaimlessonemoreDyeartheworseforwear
AndI’vebeenEmbacktoSouthEastCAsiaandtheGanswersureain’tCthere
ButI’mAmdriftingnorthtoDcheckthingsout Gagain
DYouknowtheEmlastplaneoutofCSydney’salmostGgone
DOnlyEmsevenflyingChoursandI’llbeDlandinginGHongDKong
Thereain’tEmnothingliketheCkissesfromaGjadedChineseprincess
I’mgonnaAmhitsomeHongKongFmattressallnightDlong
DWelltheEmlastplaneoutofCSydney’salmostGgone
YouknowtheEmlastplaneoutofCSydney’salmostDgone
AndIt’sEmreallygotmeCworriedI’mgoingGnowhereandI’minaChurry
AndtheAmlastplaneoutofDSydney’salmostGgoneCG
DYouknowtheEmlastplaneoutofCSydney’salmostGgone
DYouknowtheEmlastplaneoutofCSydney’salmostDgone
Andit’sEmreallygotmeCworriedI’mgoingGnowhereandI’minaChurry
AndtheAmlastplaneoutofDSydney’salmostGgone.CGCG
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.
ArtistCold Chisel
AlbumCold Chisel
GenresRock
Year1978
KeyEm
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Khe Sanh on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Cold Chisel - Khe Sanh on guitar requires 6 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.

Khe Sanh uses these transitions most often: Em → C (27), D → Em (24), and C → G (23). 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 - C chord transition.

1. 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 27 times.

Em to C

2. 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

Switching 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 23 times.

C to G

3. G → D chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

Here's how to move from G to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

G to D

4. D → Em chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

Here's how to move 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 24 times.

D to Em

5. C → D chord transition

Switching from C 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 A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

6. G → Am chord transition

Switching from G to Am:

  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 G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

7. Am → F chord transition

To move from Am 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. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

8. F → D chord transition

Switching from F to D:

  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 G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 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 4 times.

9. 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 7 times.

10. Am → D chord transition

Switching 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 5 times.

11. G → Em chord transition

Here's how to move 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 2 times.

Khe Sanh chord transition analysis

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

  • Khe Sanh includes 139 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Khe Sanh contains 7 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Khe Sanh 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 → D: 11%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Em: 17%
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.