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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.

Mike Nesmith - Rio Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, Bb, Am7, B7, Em7, A7, G, Gm, F#m, A
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓-↓↑-↓↑↓↑

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

DI’mhearingthelightfromtheBbwindow
I’mDseeingthesoundoftheAm7sea
MyDfeethavecomeloosefromtheirB7moorings
I’mEm7feelingquitewonderfullyA7free
AndIGthinkIwilltraveltoGmRio
DUsingtheF#mmusicforB7flight
There’sEm7nothingIknowofinGmRio
Butit’sAsomethingtoF#mdowiththeDnight
It’sGonlyawhimsicalGmnotion
ToDflydowntoF#mRio B7tonight
AndIEm7probablywon’tflydowntoGmRio
AButthen F#magainIjustDmight
There’sDwingstothethoughtbehindBbfancy
There’sDwingstothethoughtbehindAm7play
AndDdancingtorhythmsofB7laughter
MakesEm7laughtertherhythmofA7rain
AndIGthinkIwilltraveltoGmRio
DUsingtheF#mmusicforB7flight
There’sEm7nothingIknowofinGmRio
Butit’sAsomethingtoF#mdowiththeDnight
It’sGonlyawhimsicalGmnotion
ToDflydowntoF#mRio B7tonight
AndIEm7probablywon’tflydowntoGmRio
AButthen F#magainIjustDmight
IDfeelsuchasenseofwellBbbeing
TheDproblemshavecometobeAm7solved
DAndwhatIthoughtwasproperforB7battle
IEm7seenowisproperforA7love
AndIGthinkIwilltraveltoGmRio
DUsingtheF#mmusicforB7flight
There’sEm7nothingIknowofinGmRio
Butit’sAsomethingtoF#mdowiththeDnight
It’sGonlyawhimsicalGmnotion
ToDflydowntoF#mRio B7tonight
AndIEm7probablywon’tflydowntoGmRio
AButthen F#magainIjustDmight
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.
ArtistMike Nesmith
AlbumFrom a Radio Engine to the Photon Wing
GenresRock
Year1977
KeyD
DifficultyAdvanced

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

Mike Nesmith - Rio on guitar requires 10 chords and 14 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.

Rio uses these transitions most often: B7 → Em7 (9), A → F#m (6), and D → F#m (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 D - Bb chord transition.

1. D → Bb chord transition

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

Here's how to move from D to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

D to Bb

2. D → Am7 chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar Am7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-1-0Guitar Am7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from D to Am7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

D to Am7

3. D → B7 chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram

Switching from D to B7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

D to B7

4. B7 → Em7 chord transition

Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram
Guitar Em7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-0-0-0Guitar Em7 chord diagram

To move from B7 to Em7:

  1. While playing B7, first lift your index finger, ring finger, and pinky.
  2. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

B7 to Em7

5. Em7 → A7 chord transition

Switching from Em7 to A7:

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

6. A7 → G chord transition

To move from A7 to G:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

7. G → Gm chord transition

To move from G to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

8. Gm → D chord transition

To move from Gm to D:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

9. D → F#m chord transition

Here's how to move from D to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

10. F#m → B7 chord transition

Switching from F#m to B7:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

11. Em7 → Gm chord transition

Switching from Em7 to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

12. Gm → A chord transition

To move from Gm to A:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

13. A → F#m chord transition

Here's how to move from A to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

14. D → G chord transition

To move from D to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E 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 chorus, played 3 times.

Rio chord transition analysis

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

  • Rio includes 81 chord transitions, 14 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Rio contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Rio connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → F#m: 2%
    After Gm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (15%), F (12%), and Dm (10%).
    • Gm → D: 7%
    • Gm → A: 4%
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.