Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
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.

Steely Dan - My Old School Chords

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

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

GIrememberthethirtyfivesweet Emgoodbyes
CWhenyouputmeontheDWolverineuptoGAnnandaleGCG
GItwasstillSeptemberwhenyourdaddywasquite Emsurprised
ToCfindyouwiththeDworkinggirlsintheCcountyjailGCG
IwasCsmokingwiththeboysupstairs
WhenIDheardaboutthewholeaffair
Isaid, Em“OhnoGWilliamandEmMarywon’tCdo”
WellIDdidnotthinktheCgirlcouldDbesoEmcruel
AndI’mDnevergoingbacktomyoldGschool
GOleandersgrowingoutsideherEmdoor
CSoonthey’regonnaDbeinbloomupinGAnnandaleGCG
GIcan’tstandherdoingwhatshedidEmbefore
CLivinglikeaDGypsyqueeninaGfairytale
WellIChearthewhistlebutIcan’tgo
I’mDgonnatakeherdowntoMexico
Shesaid, G“OhEmnoGGuadalajaraDwon’tCdo”
WellIDdidnotthinktheAmgirlcouldDbesoEmcruel
AndI’mDnevergoingAmbacktomyoldGschool
GCaliforniatumblesintotheEmsea
CThat’llbetheDdayIgobacktoGAnnandaleGCG
GTriedtowarnyouaboutChinoandDaddyEmGee
CButIcan’tseemtoDgettoyouthroughtheGU.S.Mail
WellIChearthewhistlebutIcan’tgo
I’mDgonnatakeherdowntoMexico
Shesaid, G“OhEmnoGGuadalajaraDwon’tCdo”
WellIDdidnotthinktheAmgirlcouldDbesoEmcruel
AndI’mDnevergoingAmbacktomyoldGschool
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.
ArtistSteely Dan
AlbumCountdown to Ecstasy
GenresRock
Year1973
KeyG
DifficultyEasy

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

Steely Dan - My Old School 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.

My Old School uses these transitions most often: C → D (13), G → Em (11), and D → G (8). 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 G - Em chord transition.

1. G → Em chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

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 verse, played 11 times.

G to Em

2. Em → C chord transition

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

Switching from Em to C:

  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 A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

Em to C

3. C → D chord transition

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

Here's how to move from C to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E 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 13 times.

C to D

4. D → G chord transition

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

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 verse, played 8 times.

D to G

5. G → C chord transition

Here's how to move from G to C:

  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 A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

6. D → Em chord transition

Here's how to move from D to Em:

  1. While playing D, lift your index finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Lift your middle finger from E 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 4 times.

7. D → Am chord transition

Switching from D to Am:

  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 G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

8. Am → G chord transition

Switching from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

My Old School chord transition analysis

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

  • My Old School includes 75 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • My Old School contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how My Old School 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 → C: 25%
    • G → Em: 9%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Em: 17%
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.