Madonna - Like A Prayer Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to E,B,F# keys to play this song with easier chords.
How to play Like A Prayer on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Madonna - Like A Prayer on guitar requires 4 chords and 6 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.
Like A Prayer uses these transitions most often: C → G (24), F → C (17), and G → F (14). 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 Am - G chord transition.
1. Am → G chord transition
To move from Am to G:
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.
2. Am → C chord transition
Here's how to move from Am to C:
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
This transition appears in the chorus.
3. C → G chord transition
Switching from C to G:
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
This transition appears in the chorus, played 24 times.
4. G → F chord transition
Switching from G to F:
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
This transition appears in the chorus, played 14 times.
5. F → C chord transition
To move from F to C:
- While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
This transition appears in the chorus, played 17 times.
6. Am → F chord transition
Here's how to move from Am to F:
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.
Like A Prayer chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Like A Prayer.
- Like A Prayer includes 87 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Like A Prayer contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Like A Prayer connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
- G → C: 25%
- G → Am: 13%
After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).- C → G: 35%