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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.

Train - Mermaid Chords

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

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

FGAmCFGAmCFGAmCDmGAm
FCan’tswimsoIGtookaboat,AmtoanislandsoCremote
FOnlyJohnnyGDepphaseverAmbeentoitCbefore
FIstayedtheretilltheGairwasclearIAmwasboredandoutofCtears
DmThenIsawyouwasheduponGtheshore
FIofferedGyoumycoat,AmthankgodthisCluckcanflow
FCrazyhowthatGshipwreckmetmyAmshipwascomingCin
FWetalkedtillGthesunwentdown,AmloveontheCpugetsound
DmMytreasuremapwasonEmyourskin
AmBeautyintheCwater,GangelonFthebeach
AmOcean’sCdaughter,GIthoughtEmlovewasoutofreach
AmTillICgother,hadIGknownitcouldcomeDmthrough
IwouldhavewishedinG’92,foramermaidFjustGlikeAmyou
AmWhoa,FjustGlikeAmyou,whoa
FSarksgreenwithGenvywithintheyAmwonderwhatyouCseeinme
FFunnythoughtsGsometimescan’thelpbutAmwonderthatasCwell
FNowlifeisaGholiday,AmmakingupfortheCyearsIpaid
DmTheweightofthisheavenlybay,itEmwentthroughhell
AmBeautyintheCwater,GangelonFthebeach
AmOcean’sCdaughter,GIthoughtEmlovewasoutofreach
AmTillICgother,hadIGknownitcouldcomeDmthrough
IwouldhavewishedinG’92,foramermaidFjustGlikeAmyou
AmWhoa,FjustGlikeAmyou,whoa
AmRescuedyouboutthebanyantree,Callthegirlfishinthesea
Gcouldn’tholdacandletoyou,theydon’thaveahandleonyou
FTheydon’thaveascandalonyou,Iloveecosandalsonyou
AmSavingmewasB-I-G,Galltheboyfishinthesea
EmTheyallwishthattheycouldbeme
FCan’tswimsoI Gtookaboat, Amtoanisland Csoremote
FOnlyJohnnyGDepphaseverAmbeentoitCbefore
AmBeautyintheCwater,GangelonFthebeach
AmOcean’sCdaughter,GIthoughtEmlovewasoutofreach
AmTillICgother,hadIGknownitcouldcomeDmthrough
IwouldhavewishedinG’92,foramermaidFjustGlikeAmyou
AmWhoa,FjustGlikeAmyou,whoa
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.
ArtistTrain
AlbumCalifornia 37
GenresPop, Pop Rock, Rock
Year2012
KeyF
DifficultyIntermediate

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

Train - Mermaid on guitar requires 6 chords and 12 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.

Mermaid uses these transitions most often: Am → C (24), G → Am (21), and F → G (20). 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 F - G chord transition.

1. F → G chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from F to G:

  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 A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 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 20 times.

F to G

2. G → Am chord transition

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

Switching from G to Am:

  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 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 21 times.

G to Am

3. Am → C chord transition

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

To move from Am to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 24 times.

Am to C

4. C → F chord transition

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

Here's how to move from C 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. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

C to F

5. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm:

  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. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

6. Dm → G chord transition

Switching from Dm to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

7. Am → F chord transition

To move from Am 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. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

8. Dm → Em chord transition

To move from Dm to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

9. Em → Am chord transition

To move from Em to Am:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 5 times.

10. C → G chord transition

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 chorus, played 10 times.

11. G → Em chord transition

Here's how to move from G to Em:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

12. Em → F chord transition

Switching from Em to F:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

Mermaid chord transition analysis

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

  • Mermaid includes 127 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Mermaid contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Mermaid 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 → Am: 13%
    • G → F: 9%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → G: 21%
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.