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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.

Radiohead - No Surprises Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, G, Em, A, Gm, Dm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

ADheartthat’sfullup,likeaGlandfill
AjobthatslowlyEmkillsyou,
ABruisesAthatwon’tDhealGm
DYoulooksotired,unhappy
GBringdownthegovernment
EmTheydon’t,Atheydon’tAspeakforDusGm
DI’lltakeaquietlife
AGhandshakeofcarbonmonoxideand
AndEmnoalarmsandAnoAsurprises
EmNoalarmsandAnoAsurprises
EmNoalarmsandAnoAsurprises
DSilent,GmsilentDGm
DThisismyfinalfit
MyGfinalbellyachewith
WithEmnoalarmsandAnoAsurprises
EmNoalarmsandAnoAsurprises
EmNoalarmsandAnoAsurprises,DpleaseGm
AGmAGmEmGm
DSuchaprettyhouseand
GSuchaprettygarden
EmNoalarmsandAnoAsurprises(getmeoutofhere)
EmNoalarmsandAnoAsurprises(getmeoutofhere)
EmNoalarmsandAnoAsurprises(getmeoutofhere)
DmGmD
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.
ArtistRadiohead
AlbumOK Computer OKNOTOK 1997 2017
GenresAlternative, Indie, Rock
Year2017
KeyD
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play No Surprises on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Radiohead - No Surprises on guitar requires 6 chords and 9 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.

No Surprises uses these transitions most often: Em → A (11), A → Em (6), and Gm → D (6). 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 D - G chord transition.

1. 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 5 times.

D 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

Switching 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 5 times.

G to Em

3. Em → A chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

Switching from Em to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

Em to A

4. A → D chord transition

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

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

A to D

5. D → Gm chord transition

To move from D to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

6. Gm → A chord transition

To move from Gm to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

7. Gm → Em chord transition

Switching from Gm to Em:

  1. While playing Gm, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your middle finger from E string fret 3 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.

8. A → Dm chord transition

To move from A to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the outro.

9. Dm → Gm chord transition

To move from Dm to Gm:

  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 E string fret 3.
  3. Keep ring finger on B string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the outro.

No Surprises chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in No Surprises.

  • No Surprises includes 50 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • No Surprises contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how No Surprises connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → D: 29%
    • A → Em: 7%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → A: 5%
    • Em → Gm: 0%
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.