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Dire Straits - Lady Writer Chords

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

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

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

[Opening]
[F]Lady [G]writer on the [Am]TV, [F]talking bout the [G]Virgin [Am]Mary,
[F]re[G]minded me of [Am]you, [F]expec[G]tation left a [Em]come on, too.
[F]Lady [G]writer on the [Am]TV, [F]yeah, she had another [Am]quality,
[F]the [G]way you used to [Am]look, [F]and I [G]know you never [Em]read a book.
[F]Just the way that her hair fell down around her [C]face,
[F]then I recall my fall from [Am]grace, [Em] [Dm]
Another [Fm]time, another [Am]place.
[F]Lady [G]writer on the [Am]TV, [F]she had [G]all the brains [Am]and the beauty,
[F]The picture [G]does not [Am]fit,
[Fm]you’d talk to [G]me when you [Em]felt like this.

[interlude]
[F]

[verse 2]
Just the way that her hair fell down around her [C]face,
[F]then I recall my fall from [Am]grace, [Em] [Dm]
Another [Fm]time, another [Am]place.
[C]Yes, and your rich old man he’d call her [G]a dead ringer,
[Em]you got the same command plus your mother was a [Dm]jazz singer.

[interlude]
[F] [G] [Am] [F] [G] [Am]
[F] [G] [Am] [F] [G] [Em]

[verse 3]
[F]Just the way that her hair fell down around her [C]face,
[F]then I recall my fall from [Am]grace, [Em] [Dm]
Another [Fm]time, another [Am]place.
[F]Lady [G]writer on the [Am]TV, [F]she knew [G]all about [Am]history,
[F]he couldn’t [G]hardly write your [Am]name,
[F]I think I [G]want it [Em]just the same.
[F]Lady [G]writer on the [Am]TV, [F]talking ‘bout the [G]Virgin [Am]Mary,

[Closing]
[F]yeah, you know I’m [G]talking about [Am]you and me,
[F]lady [G]writer on the [Em]TV.
[F]Lady [G]writer on the [Am]TV, [F]talking ‘bout the [G]Virgin [Am]Mary,
[F]yeah, you know I’m [G]talking about [Am]you and me,
[F]lady [G]writer on the [Em]TV.

[outro]
[F] [G] [Am] [F] [G] [Am]
[F] [G] [Am] [F] [G] [Em]

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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.
ArtistDire Straits
AlbumCommuniqué
GenresRock
Year1979
KeyF

How to play Lady Writer on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Dire Straits - Lady Writer on guitar requires 7 chords and 14 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.

Lady Writer uses these transitions most often: F → G (30), Am → F (25), and G → Am (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 F - G chord transition.

1. F → G chord transition

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

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.
F to G

2. G → Am chord transition

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

To move 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.
G to Am

3. Am → F chord transition

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

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.
Am to F

4. G → Em chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

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.
G to Em

5. Em → F chord transition

To move 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.

6. 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.

7. Am → Em chord transition

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.

8. Em → Dm chord transition

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.

9. Dm → Fm chord transition

To move from Dm to Fm;

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

10. Fm → Am chord transition

To move from Fm to Am;

  1. While playing Fm, 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 ring finger from A string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  4. Place middle finger on D string fret 2.

11. Fm → G chord transition

To move from Fm to G;

  1. While playing Fm, 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 ring finger from A string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
  4. Place middle finger on E string fret 3.

12. Am → C chord transition

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.

13. C → G chord transition

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.

14. 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.

Lady Writer chord transition analysis

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

  • Lady Writer includes 122 chord transitions, 14 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Lady Writer contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Lady Writer connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → Am: 13%
    • G → Em: 9%
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.