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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.

Noah Kahan - Mess Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsBb, F, Gm, Eb
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 G,A,D keys to play this song with easier chords.

BbFBb
IfIcouldBbgivethisallback,IwouldbehomeintheFmorningGm
I’dwakeupinacoldsweat,GmtakeaflightbacktothecityIwasFborninBb
BbAndIwouldwipemyselfclean,ofwhatIknewwasFunimportantGm
I’dwanttypicalthings,I’dtrytofitbackintoallmyoldFclothing
EbAndIwouldprovemyselfwrong,thatGmallalong,theproblemwas Fme
FWithallmybitternessgone,happy,I’dbe
BbI’llmovebackhomeforever,I’llfeedthedogsandI’llputall
EbMypiecesbacktogetherwheretheybelong,andI’llsay,Gm”I’mamess,FI’mamess
OhBbGod,I’mamess”EbandBbI’lltake89toBoston
SeemyloveandI’llhelpher,Ebsetuphernewapartment
Andwe’llgetdrunkandshe’llsay,Gm”shit,you’reamess,Fyou’reamess
GoodBbGod,you’reamessEboh,Gmyou’reamess,Fyou’reamess,goodBbGod”
BbSoIpaidoffmydebtsbutIfoundtheworldFboringGm
SoIcalledmyoldfriendsbuttheyonlyeveraskmehowFtourisBb
Andthere’sstillweightonmyback,IjustEbtrytoFignoreitGm
Iguessthestagewasmymask,IforgotthewayIlookedbeforeIFworeit
EbAndIwouldprovemyselfwrong,thatGmallalong,theproblemwas Fme
FWithallmybitternessgone,happy,I’llbe
BbI’llmovebackhomeforever,I’llfeedthedogsandI’llputall
EbMypiecesbacktogetherwheretheybelong,andI’llsay,Gm”I’mamess,FI’mamess
OhBbGod,I’mamess”EbandBbI’lltake89toBoston
SeemyloveandI’llhelpher,Ebsetuphernewapartment
Andwe’llgetdrunkandshe’llsay,Gm”shit,you’reamess,Fyou’reamess
GoodBbGod,you’reamessEboh,Gmyou’reamess,Fyou’reamess”
That’sEbnotwhatIhadhoped,nowIfindcomfortinthecold
BbI’llmovebackhomeforever,I’llfeedthedogsandI’llputall
EbMypiecesbacktogetherwheretheybelong,andI’llsay,Gm”I’mamess,FI’mamess
OhBbGod,I’mamess”EbandBbI’lltake89toBoston
SeemyloveandI’llhelpher,Ebsetuphernewapartment
Andwe’llgetdrunkandshe’llsay,Gm”shit,you’reamess,Fyou’reamess
GoodBbGod,you’reamessEb
GmOh,you’reamess,Fyou’reamess.GoodBbGod”
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.
ArtistNoah Kahan
AlbumBusyhead
GenresAlternative, Indie
Year2019
KeyBb
DifficultyAdvanced

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

Noah Kahan - Mess on guitar requires 4 chords and 5 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.

Mess uses these transitions most often: Gm → F (15), Bb → Eb (13), and F → Bb (13). 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 Bb - F chord transition.

1. Bb → F chord transition

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

Switching from Bb to F:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

Bb to F

2. F → Gm chord transition

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

Here's how to move from F to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

F to Gm

3. F → Eb chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-x-1-3-4-3Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram

Switching from F to Eb:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

F to Eb

4. Eb → Gm chord transition

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

To move from Eb to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 11 times.

Eb to Gm

5. Bb → Eb chord transition

Here's how to move from Bb to Eb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

Mess chord transition analysis

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

  • Mess includes 68 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Mess contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Mess connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → Bb: 5%
    • F → Gm: 1%
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → F: 34%
    • Bb → Eb: 5%
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.