Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
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.

Katherine Kennicott Davis - Little Drummer Boy Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Csus4, G, G7, C7, F
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

CC
CCometheytoldme,paCsus4rumpumpumCpum
AnewbornKingtosee,paCsus4rumpumpumCpum
GOurfinestgiftswebring,parumpumpumG7pumC
Tolay C7beforetheKing,parumpumpumFpum,
rumpumpumCpum,rumpumpumGpum,
CSotohonourHim,paCsus4rumpumpumCpum,
G7WhenweCcome.
LittleBaby,paCsus4rumpumpumCpum
Iamapoorboytoo,paCsus4rumpumpumCpum
GIhavenogifttobring,parumpumpumG7pumC
That’sfittoC7givetheKing,parumpumpumFpum,
rumpumpumCpum,rumpumpumGpum,
CShallIplayforyou,paCsus4rumpumpumCpum,
G7OnmyCdrum?
CMarynodded,paCsus4rumpumpumCpum
Theoxandlambkepttime, Csus4parumpumpumCpum
GIplayedmydrumforHim,parumpumG7pumpumC
IplayedmyC7bestforHim,parumpumpumFpum,
rumpumpumCpum,rumpumpumGpum,
CThenHesmiledatme,paCsus4rumpumpumCpum
G7MeandmyCdrum.
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.
ArtistKatherine Kennicott Davis
AlbumSingle
GenresChildren, Christmas
Year1958
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Little Drummer Boy on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Katherine Kennicott Davis - Little Drummer Boy on guitar requires 6 chords and 7 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.

Little Drummer Boy uses these transitions most often: C → Csus4 (9), Csus4 → C (9), and C → G (6). 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 - Csus4 chord transition.

1. C → Csus4 chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar Csus4 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-3-0-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar Csus4 chord diagram

To move from C to Csus4:

  1. While playing C, lift your middle finger from D string fret 2.
  2. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

C to Csus4

2. C → G chord transition

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

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

C to G

3. G → G7 chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from G to G7:

  1. Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

G to G7

4. G7 → C chord transition

Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Switching from G7 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 1 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

G7 to C

5. C → C7 chord transition

To move from C to C7:

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

6. C7 → F chord transition

To move from C7 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. Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

7. F → C chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

Little Drummer Boy chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Little Drummer Boy.

  • Little Drummer Boy includes 48 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Little Drummer Boy contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Little Drummer Boy connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → G7: 2%
    After Csus4, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (63%) and G7sus4 (38%).
    • Csus4 → C: 63%
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.