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.

Sam Smith - Nirvana Chords

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

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

EmCGDEmCG
EmOhbaby,ohGbaby,ohwebothCknowtheGtruth
IfitweretheDrealmeandEmyou,
Thiswouldn’tbetheCrightthingtoGdo
EmNowtheroomissoGhazy,we’retooClostintheGfumes
Ifeellikeit’sDjustmeandEmyou,
YeahwegotCnothingtoGlose
EmIt’stoolatetorunawayfromitall
CIt’stoolatetogetGawayfromitall
EmI’mdonewithrunningsoICgiveintoGyou
EmThismomenthasCcausedaGreaction
BmResultinginEmourCreattachment
EmOhyoutakemeCtoGnirvana
Idon’tBmthinkthiswillEmlast
CButyou’rehereinmyGarms
EmOhbaby,ohGbaby,oh,webothCfeelGthesame
I’mnotgonnaDgiveyoumyEmname
AndIdon’tthinkyouCwantthattoGchange
EmWe’reinthisGtogether,wedon’tCknowwhoweGare
Evenifit’sDmovingtooEmfast,
BabyweshouldCtakeittooGfar
EmIt’stoolatetorunawayfromitall
CIt’stoolatetogetGawayfromitall
EmI’mdonewithrunningsoICgiveintoGyou
EmThismomenthasCcausedaGreaction
BmResultinginEmourCreattachment
EmOhyoutakemeCtoGnirvana
Idon’tBmthinkthiswillEmlast
CButyou’rehereinmyGarms
EmCGBmEmCGEmCGBmEmCG
EmOhyoutakemeCtoGnirvana
Idon’tBmthinkthiswillEmlast
CButyou’rehereinmyGarms
AmGDCAmGDG
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.
ArtistSam Smith
AlbumSingle
GenresPop, R&B, Soul
Year2013
KeyEm
DifficultyIntermediate

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

Sam Smith - Nirvana on guitar requires 6 chords and 10 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.

Nirvana uses these transitions most often: C → G (28), Em → C (24), and G → Em (15). 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 Em - C chord transition.

1. 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 24 times.

Em to C

2. C → G chord transition

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

Here's how to move from C 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 A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 28 times.

C to G

3. G → D chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from G to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

G to D

4. D → Em chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

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 5 times.

D to Em

5. G → Em chord transition

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 15 times.

6. G → Bm chord transition

Here's how to move from G to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 7 times.

7. Bm → Em chord transition

Switching from Bm to Em:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 7 times.

8. G → Am chord transition

Switching from G to Am:

  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 G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the outro.

9. D → C chord transition

Here's how to move from D to C:

  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.

This transition appears in the outro.

10. 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.

This transition appears in the outro.

Nirvana chord transition analysis

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

  • Nirvana includes 107 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Nirvana contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Nirvana 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 → D: 24%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → Am: 10%
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.