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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.

Harry Styles - Lights Up Chords

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

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

EmDDCEmDDC
EmWhatdoyouDmeanI’mDsorryCbytheway,nevercomingbackdown
EmCan’tyouDseeIDcouldbut
Cwouldn’tstay,wouldn’tputitlikethat
EmWhatdoyouDmeanI’mDsorryCb
ytheway,I’mnevercomingaround
EmBesoDsweetifDthingsjustC
stayedthesame,la-dada-da-da
AmAllthelightscouldn’tDputouttheEdark
AmRunningthroughmyDheart
AmLightsupandtheyDknowwhoyouEare
DKnowwhoyouEare,doyouDknowwhoyouEare?
EmShine,stepintothelight
DShine,soDbrightsometimes
CShine,I’mnotevergoingback
EmShine,stepintothelight
DShine,soDbrightsometimes
CShine,I’mnotevergoingback
EmShine,stepintothelight
DShine,soDbrightsometimes
CShine,I’mnotever(oh)
EmWhatdoyouDmeanI’mDsorryCbytheway,nevergoingbacknow
EmBesoDsweetifDthingsjustC
stayedthesame,la-dada-da-da
Am(Oh,Doh,Eoh)La-da-da-da-da
Am(Oh,Doh,Eoh)La-da-da-da-da
Am(Oh-oh-oh-oh,Doh,Eoh)La-da-da-da-da
D(Oh,Eoh)La-da-da-da-da
D(Oh,Eoh)
AmAllthelightscouldn’tDputouttheEdark
AmRunningthroughmyDheart
AmLightsupandtheyDknowwhoyouEare
DKnowwhoyouEare,doyouknowwhoyouare?
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.
ArtistHarry Styles
AlbumFine Line
GenresAlternative, Indie, Pop
Year2019
KeyEm
DifficultyEasy

How to play Lights Up on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Harry Styles - Lights Up 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.

Lights Up uses these transitions most often: D → E (14), D → C (11), and Em → D (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 Em - D chord transition.

1. Em → D chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Em to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

Em to D

2. D → C chord transition

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

To move from D to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

D to C

3. C → Em chord transition

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

Switching from C to Em:

  1. While playing C, 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 A string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

C to Em

4. 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.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

C to Am

5. 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 chorus, played 9 times.

6. D → E chord transition

Here's how to move from D to E:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 14 times.

7. E → Am chord transition

Here's how to move from E to Am:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 7 times.

8. E → Em chord transition

To move from E to Em:

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

This transition appears in the chorus.

Lights Up chord transition analysis

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

  • Lights Up includes 69 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Lights Up contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Lights Up connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → C: 14%
    • D → E: 3%
    After E, the most likely next chords across Chordier are A (25%), D (14%), and B (11%).
    • E → D: 14%
    • E → 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.