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Eric Clapton - Layla Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsDm, Bb, C7, A, C, C#m7, G#7, D, E7, F#m, B7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar C#m7 | D♭m7 chord diagram Fingering: x-4-6-4-5-4 Barre at fret 4. Base fret 4.Guitar C#m7 | D♭m7 chord diagram
  • Guitar G#7 | A♭7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-1-1-1-2 Barre at fret 1.Guitar G#7 | A♭7 chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
  • Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram

[intro]
[Dm] [Bb] [C7] [Dm] [Dm] [Bb] [C7]

[Opening]
[A] [C] [C#m7]What’ll you do when you get [G#7]lonely
[C#m7]And nobody’s [C]waiting [D]by your [E7]side
[F#m]You’ve been [B7]running and [E7]hiding
Much too [A]long
[F#m]You know it’s [B7]just your foolish [E7]pride

[chorus]
[A]Lay[Dm]la [Bb] [C7]you’ve got me on my [Dm]knees
[Dm]Layla [Bb]I’m [C7]begging, darling [Dm]please
[Dm]Layla [Bb] [C7]darling
Won’t you [Dm]ease my worried mind [Bb] [C7]

[verse 2]
[A] [C] [C#m7]I tried to give you conso[G#7]lation
[C#m7]When your old [C]man had [D]let you [E7]down
[F#m]Like a [B7]fool I [E7]fell in love with [A]you
[F#m]Turned my [B7]whole world upside [E7]down

[chorus]
[A]Lay[Dm]la [Bb] [C7]you’ve got me on my [Dm]knees
[Dm]Layla [Bb]I’m [C7]begging, darling [Dm]please
[Dm]Layla [Bb] [C7]darling
Won’t you [Dm]ease my worried mind [Bb] [C7]

[Closing]
[A] [C] [C#m7]Let’s make the best of the situ[G#7]ation
[C#m7]Before I [C]finally [D]go in[E7]sane
[F#m]Please don’t [B7]say we’ll [E7]never find a [A]way
[F#m]And tell me [B7]all my love’s in [E7]vain

[chorus]
[A]Lay[Dm]la [Bb] [C7]you’ve got me on my [Dm]knees
[Dm]Layla [Bb]I’m [C7]begging, darling [Dm]please
[Dm]Layla [Bb] [C7]darling
Won’t you [Dm]ease my worried mind [Bb] [C7]

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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.
ArtistEric Clapton
AlbumLayla and Other Assorted Love Songs
GenresRock
Year1971
KeyDm

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

Eric Clapton - Layla on guitar requires 11 chords and 15 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.

Layla uses these transitions most often: Bb → C7 (14), Dm → Bb (14), and C7 → Dm (10). 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 Dm - Bb chord transition.

1. Dm → Bb chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from Dm to Bb;

  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 B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.
Dm to Bb

2. Bb → C7 chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

To move from Bb to C7;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 3 to fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky from B string fret 3 to G string fret 3.
Bb to C7

3. C7 → Dm chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from C7 to Dm;

  1. While playing C7, lift your pinky from G string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
C7 to Dm

4. C7 → A chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

To move from C7 to A;

  1. While playing C7, lift your pinky from G string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 2.
C7 to A

5. A → C chord transition

To move from A to C;

  1. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 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 2 and place it on A string fret 3.

6. C → C#m7 chord transition

To move from C to C#m7;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 4.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 5.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 6.

7. C#m7 → G#7 chord transition

To move from C#m7 to G#7;

  1. While playing C#m7, lift your ring finger from D string fret 6.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 4 and place it on D string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from B string fret 5 to E string fret 2.

8. C → D chord transition

To move 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.

9. D → E7 chord transition

To move from D to E7;

  1. While playing D, lift your ring finger from B string fret 3.
  2. Slide your index finger on G string from fret 2 to fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to A string fret 2.

10. E7 → F#m chord transition

To move from E7 to F#m;

  1. While playing E7, lift your middle finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 4.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 4.

11. F#m → B7 chord transition

To move from F#m to B7;

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

12. B7 → E7 chord transition

To move from B7 to E7;

  1. While playing B7, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your index finger from D string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.

13. E7 → A chord transition

To move from E7 to A;

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

14. A → F#m chord transition

To move from A to F#m;

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

15. A → Dm chord transition

To move from A to Dm;

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

Layla chord transition analysis

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

  • Layla includes 89 chord transitions, 15 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Layla contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Layla 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 → Bb: 9%
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → C7: 2%
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.