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Stevie Wonder - Lately Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Am, Dm, G, A, F, Fm, Em, G#, A#m, Cm, A#, D, Gm
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 Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar Fm chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-1-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar Fm chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em 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#m | B♭m chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-2-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A#m | B♭m chord diagram
  • Guitar Cm chord diagram Fingering: x-3-1-0-1-3Guitar Cm chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram

[Opening]
[C]Lately I have had this strangest [Am]feeling,
[Dm]With no vivid reasons here to [G]find.
[Dm]Yet the thought of [Am]losing you’s been [Dm]hanging, round my [G]mind. [C]
[C]Far more frequently you’re wearing [Am]perfume,
[Dm]With you say, “No special place to [G]go”
[Dm]But when I ask will [A]you be coming [Dm]back soon,
[G]You don’t [C]know, never know.

[chorus]
Well, [F]I’m a man of many wishes, I [Fm]hope my premonition misses,
But [Em]what I really feel, my [A]eyes won’t let me hide,
‘Cause they [Dm] [Em]always [Fm]start [G]to [C]cry.
‘Cause this [Dm]time [Em]could [Fm]mean [G]good[C]bye.

[Closing]
[C]Lately I’ve been staring in the [Am]mirror,
[Dm]Very slowly picking me [G]apart.
[Dm]Trying to tell myself [Am]I have no [Dm]reason, with your [G]heart. [C]
[C]Just the other night while you were [Am]sleeping,
I [Dm]vaguely heard you whisper someone’s [G]name.
But [Dm]when I ask you [Am]of the thoughts you’re [Dm]keeping,
[G]You just [C]say, nothing’s changed.

[chorus]
Well, [F]I’m a man of many wishes, I [Fm]hope my premonition misses,
But [Em]what I really feel, my [A]eyes won’t let me hide,
‘Cause they [Dm] [Em]always [Fm]start [G]to [C]cry.
‘Cause this [Dm]time [Em]could [Fm]mean [G]good[G#]bye, [A#m]good[Cm]bye [F]

[chorus]
Well, [A#]I’m a man of many wishes, I [A#m]hope my premonition misses,
But [Am]what I really feel, my [D]eyes won’t let me hide,
‘Cause they [Gm] [Am]always [A#m]start [C]to [F]cry. [D]
‘Cause this [Gm]time [Am]could [A#m]mean [C]good[F]bye.

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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.
ArtistStevie Wonder
AlbumHotter than July
GenresR&B, Soul
Year1980
KeyC

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

Stevie Wonder - Lately on guitar requires 14 chords and 24 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.

Lately uses these transitions most often: Dm → G (8), Am → Dm (7), and G → C (7). 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 → Dm chord transition

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

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.
Am to Dm

3. Dm → G chord transition

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

To move 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.
Dm to G

4. G → C chord transition

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

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.
G to C

5. Dm → A chord transition

To move from Dm to A;

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

6. C → F chord transition

To move 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.

7. F → Fm chord transition

To move from F to Fm;

  1. While playing F, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Keep pinky on D string fret 3.

8. Fm → Em chord transition

To move from Fm to Em;

  1. While playing Fm, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.

9. Em → A chord transition

To move from Em to A;

  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 2.
  3. Place index finger on D string fret 2.

10. Dm → Em chord transition

To move from Dm to Em;

  1. While playing Dm, lift your index finger from E string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from G 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.

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. 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.

13. G → G# chord transition

To move from G to G#;

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

14. G# → A#m chord transition

To move from G# to A#m;

  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 B string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 4 and place it on D string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.

15. A#m → Cm chord transition

To move from A#m to Cm;

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

16. Cm → F chord transition

To move from Cm 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 1 to G string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Lift your pinky from E string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.

17. F → A# chord transition

To move from F to A#;

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

18. A# → A#m chord transition

To move from A# to A#m;

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

19. A#m → Am chord transition

To move from A#m to Am;

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

20. Am → D chord transition

To move 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.

21. D → Gm chord transition

To move from D to Gm;

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

22. Gm → Am chord transition

To move from Gm to Am;

  1. While playing Gm, lift your pinky from E 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 from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

23. A#m → C chord transition

To move from A#m to C;

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

24. F → D chord transition

To move 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.

Lately chord transition analysis

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

  • Lately includes 78 chord transitions, 24 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Lately contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Lately connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → G: 16%
    • Dm → Am: 14%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → F: 16%
    • C → Am: 10%
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.