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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.

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsF, G, Em, Am, C, Dm7, Dm, Am7
Strumming↓↑-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • 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
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • 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
  • Guitar Dm7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar Dm7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar Am7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-1-0Guitar Am7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[F] [G] [Em] [Am] [F] [G] [C]
[Am]We’re no strangers to [G]love
[F]You know the rules and [G]so do I
[Am]A full commitment’s what I’m [G]thinking of
[F]You wouldn’t get this from [G]any other guy

[chorus]
[F]I just want to [G]tell you how I’m feeling
[Dm7]Gotta make you [G]understand

[chorus]
Never gonna [Am]give you [G]up, never gonna [Em]let you [Am]down
Never gonna [F]run a[G]round and de[C]sert you
Never gonna [Am]make you [G]cry, never gonna [Em]say good-[Am]bye
Never gonna [Dm]tell a [G]lie and [C]hurt you

[chorus]
[Am]We’ve known each other [G]for so long
[F]Your heart’s been aching but [G]you’re too shy to say it
[Am]Inside we both know what’s been [G]going on
[F]We know the game and we’re [G]gonna play it

[verse 2]
[F]And if you [G]ask me how I’m feeling
[Dm7]Don’t tell me you’re too [G]blind to see

[chorus]
Never gonna [Am]give you [G]up, never gonna [Em]let you [Am]down
Never gonna [F]run a[G]round and de[C]sert you
Never gonna [Am]make you [G]cry, never gonna [Em]say good-[Am]bye
Never gonna [Dm]tell a [G]lie and [C]hurt you

[chorus]
Never gonna [Am]give you [G]up, never gonna [Em]let you [Am]down
Never gonna [F]run a[G]round and de[C]sert you
Never gonna [Am]make you [G]cry, never gonna [Em]say good-[Am]bye
Never gonna [Dm]tell a [G]lie and [C]hurt you

[Closing]
[C]Ooh [Am]give you [G]up… [C]Ooh [Am]give you [G]up…
[C]Ooh never gonna [Am7]give, never gonna [C]give, [Am]give you [G]up…
[C]Ooh never gonna [Am7]give, never gonna [C]give, [Am]give you [G]up…

[chorus]
[Am]We’ve known each other [G]for so long
[F]Your heart’s been aching but [G]you’re too shy to say it
[Am]Inside we both know what’s been [G]going on
[F]We know the game and we’re [G]gonna play it

[chorus]
[F]I just want to [G]tell you how I’m feeling
[Dm7]Gotta make you [G]understand

[chorus]
Never gonna [Am]give you [G]up, never gonna [Em]let you [Am]down
Never gonna [F]run a[G]round and de[C]sert you
Never gonna [Am]make you [G]cry, never gonna [Em]say good-[Am]bye
Never gonna [Dm]tell a [G]lie and [C]hurt you

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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.
ArtistRick Astley
AlbumWhenever You Need Somebody
GenresPop, Soul
Year1987
KeyF

How to play Never Gonna Give You Up on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Rick Astley - Never Gonna Give You Up on guitar requires 8 chords and 11 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.

Never Gonna Give You Up uses these transitions most often: Am → G (18), F → G (15), and G → C (12). 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.
F to G

2. 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

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.
G to Em

3. Em → Am chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

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.
Em to Am

4. Am → F chord transition

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

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.
Am to F

5. G → C chord transition

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.

6. C → Am chord transition

To move from C to Am;

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

7. Am → G chord transition

To move 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.

8. G → Dm7 chord transition

To move from G to Dm7;

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

9. Am → Dm chord transition

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.

10. Dm → G chord transition

To move 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.

11. C → Am7 chord transition

To move from C to Am7;

  1. While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
  2. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.

Never Gonna Give You Up chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Never Gonna Give You Up.

  • Never Gonna Give You Up includes 113 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Never Gonna Give You Up contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Never Gonna Give You Up 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 → Am: 13%
    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.