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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.

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsCm, G, Eb, Bb, B
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to A key to play this song with easier chords.

CmWepassedupontheGstair,wespokeinwasandCmwhen
AlthoughIwasn’tGthere,hesaidIwashisEbfriend
Whichcameasa Bbsurprise,IspokeintohisGeyes
Ithoughtyoudied Cmalone,alonglongtime Bbago
BbOhno,notEbme
WeBneverlost Ebcontrol
You’reBbfacetoEbface
WithTheBManWhoSoldTheWorldG
GCmEbEbCm
ICmlaughedandshookhisGhand,
andmademywaybackCmhome
IsearchedaforeignGland,foryearsandyearsIEbroam[ed
IgazedagazelessBbstare,wewalkedamillionGhills
ImusthaveCmdiedalone,alonglongtimeBbago
BbWhoknows?NotEbme
IBneverlost Ebcontrol
You’reBbfacetoEbface
WithTheBManWhoSoldTheWorld
GCm
BbWhoknows?NotEbme
IBneverlost Ebcontrol
You’reBbfacetoEbface
WithTheBManWhoSoldTheWorld
GCm
EbEbCmCmGGCmCm
Eb
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.
ArtistNirvana
AlbumMTV Unplugged in New York
GenresAlternative, Indie, Rock
Year1994
KeyCm
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play The Man Who Sold The World on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Nirvana - The Man Who Sold The World 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.

The Man Who Sold The World uses these transitions most often: G → Cm (8), Bb → Eb (6), and Eb → B (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 Cm - G chord transition.

1. Cm → G chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Cm to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

Cm to G

2. G → Eb chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-x-1-3-4-3Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram

Here's how to move from G to Eb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

G to Eb

3. Eb → Bb chord transition

Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-x-1-3-4-3Guitar D# | E♭ 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 Eb to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

Eb to Bb

4. Bb → G chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Bb to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

Bb to G

5. Cm → Bb chord transition

To move from Cm to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

6. Eb → B chord transition

To move from Eb to B:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

7. B → G chord transition

To move from B to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

8. Cm → Eb chord transition

To move from Cm to Eb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

The Man Who Sold The World chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in The Man Who Sold The World.

  • The Man Who Sold The World includes 47 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how The Man Who Sold The World connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Eb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are Bb (30%), F (18%), and Ab (10%).
    • Eb → Bb: 30%
    • Eb → Cm: 8%
    After Cm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (22%), F (11%), and Fm (9%).
    • Cm → G: 22%
    • Cm → Bb: 8%
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.