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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.

FGEmAmFGC
AmWe’renostrangerstoGlove
FYouknowtherulesandGsodoI
AmAfullcommitment’swhatI’mGthinkingof
FYouwouldn’tgetthisfromGanyotherguy
FIjustwanttoGtellyouhowI’mfeeling
Dm7GottamakeyouGunderstand
NevergonnaAmgiveyouGup,nevergonnaEmletyouAmdown
NevergonnaFrun Garoundand Cdesertyou
NevergonnaAmmakeyouGcry,nevergonnaEmsay Amgood-bye
NevergonnaDmtellaGlieandChurtyou
AmWe’veknowneachotherGforsolong
FYourheart’sbeenachingbutGyou’retooshytosayit
AmInsidewebothknowwhat’sbeenGgoingon
FWeknowthegameandwe’reGgonnaplayit
FAndifyouGaskmehowI’mfeeling
Dm7Don’ttellmeyou’retooGblindtosee
NevergonnaAmgiveyouGup,nevergonnaEmletyouAmdown
NevergonnaFrun Garoundand Cdesertyou
NevergonnaAmmakeyouGcry,nevergonnaEmsay Amgood-bye
NevergonnaDmtellaGlieandChurtyou
NevergonnaAmgiveyouGup,nevergonnaEmletyouAmdown
NevergonnaFrun Garoundand Cdesertyou
NevergonnaAmmakeyouGcry,nevergonnaEmsay Amgood-bye
NevergonnaDmtellaGlieandChurtyou
COohAmgiveyouGup…COohAmgiveyouGup…
COohnevergonnaAm7give,nevergonnaCgive,AmgiveyouGup…
COohnevergonnaAm7give,nevergonnaCgive,AmgiveyouGup…
AmWe’veknowneachotherGforsolong
FYourheart’sbeenachingbutGyou’retooshytosayit
AmInsidewebothknowwhat’sbeenGgoingon
FWeknowthegameandwe’reGgonnaplayit
FIjustwanttoGtellyouhowI’mfeeling
Dm7GottamakeyouGunderstand
NevergonnaAmgiveyouGup,nevergonnaEmletyouAmdown
NevergonnaFrun Garoundand Cdesertyou
NevergonnaAmmakeyouGcry,nevergonnaEmsay Amgood-bye
NevergonnaDmtellaGlieandChurtyou
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
DifficultyAdvanced

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 15 times.

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

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

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

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

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

6. C → Am chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

7. Am → G chord transition

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 18 times.

8. G → Dm7 chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

9. Am → Dm chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

10. Dm → G chord transition

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

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.