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Billy Joel - My Life Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD7, C7, F7, Bb, D, G, A, Em7, Bm, F#7, E7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram
  • Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-1-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F7 chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar Em7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-0-0-0Guitar Em7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
  • Guitar F#7 | G♭7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-2-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#7 | G♭7 chord diagram
  • Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[D7][C7][F7][Bb]
[D]Got a call from an old friend, we used to be [G]real close
[A]Said he couldn’t go on the American [D]way [G][G]
[D]Closed the shop, sold the house,
Bought a ticket to the [G]West Coast
[A]Now he gives them a stand-up routine in L.[D]A. [D][C7][F7][Bb]

[interlude]
[D7][C7][F7][Bb]

[chorus]
[D]I don’t need you to worry for me cause I’m al[G]right
[A]I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come [D]home [G][D][G][Em7]
[D]I don’t care what you say anymore, this is [G]my life [G][D][Em7][D]
[A]Go ahead with your own life, and leave me a[Bm]lone

[chorus]
I never said you had to offer me a [F#7]second chance
[D7]I never said I was a victim of [E7]circumstance
[G]I still be[D]long, [F#7]don’t get me [Bm]wrong
[E7]And you can [E7]speak your mind
But [G]not [A]on [G]my [A]time

[verse 2]
[D]They will tell you you can’t sleep alone in a [G]strange place [G][D][Em7][D]
[A]Then they’ll tell you you can’t sleep with somebody [D]else [G][D][G][D]
[D]But sooner or later you sleep in your [G]own space
[A]Either way it’s okay you wake up with your[D]self [D][C7][F7][Bb]

[interlude]
[D7][C7][F7][Bb]

[chorus]
[D]I don’t need you to worry for me cause I’m al[G]right
[A]I don’t want you to tell me it’s time to come [D]home
[D]I don’t care what you say anymore, this is [G]my life [G][D][Em7][D]
[A]Go ahead with your own life, and leave me a[Bm]lone

[chorus]
I never said you had to offer me a [F#7]second chance
[D7]I never said I was a victim of [E7]circumstance
[G]I still be[D]long, [F#7]don’t get me [Bm]wrong
[E7]And you can [E7]speak your mind
But [G]not [A]on [G]my [A]time

[interlude]
[D][G][A][D]

[Closing]
[D]I don’t care what you say anymore, this is [G]my life [G][D][Em7][D]
[A]Go ahead with your own life, and leave me a[D]lo[D]ne [C7][F7][Bb]

[outro]
[D7][C7][F7][Bb]

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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.
ArtistBilly Joel
Album52nd Street
GenresPop
Year1978
KeyD

How to play My Life on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Billy Joel - My Life on guitar requires 11 chords and 18 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.

My Life uses these transitions most often: D → G (15), A → D (10), and G → A (10). 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 D7 - C7 chord transition.

1. D7 → C7 chord transition

Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

To move from D7 to C7;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.
D7 to C7

2. C7 → F7 chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar F7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-1-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F7 chord diagram

To move from C7 to F7;

  1. While playing C7, lift your pinky from G string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
C7 to F7

3. F7 → Bb chord transition

Guitar F7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-1-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F7 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 F7 to Bb;

  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 D string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.
F7 to Bb

4. Bb → D chord transition

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

To move from Bb to D;

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

5. 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.

6. G → A chord transition

To move from G to A;

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

7. A → D chord transition

To move from A to D;

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

8. D → C7 chord transition

To move from D to C7;

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

9. Bb → D7 chord transition

To move from Bb to D7;

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

10. G → Em7 chord transition

To move from G to Em7;

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

11. Em7 → D chord transition

To move from Em7 to D;

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

12. A → Bm chord transition

To move from A to Bm;

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

13. Bm → F#7 chord transition

To move from Bm to F#7;

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

14. F#7 → D7 chord transition

To move from F#7 to D7;

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

15. D7 → E7 chord transition

To move from D7 to E7;

  1. While playing D7, lift your ring finger from E string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to A string fret 2.

16. E7 → G chord transition

To move from E7 to G;

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

17. D → F#7 chord transition

To move from D to F#7;

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

18. Bm → E7 chord transition

To move from Bm to E7;

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

My Life chord transition analysis

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

  • My Life includes 106 chord transitions, 18 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • My Life contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how My Life 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 → A: 17%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → A: 6%
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.