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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.

Neil Young - Old Man Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsF, D, C, G, Am, Em
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 D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • 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
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

[Opening]
[F] [D] [F] [D]
[F]Old man look at my life, I’m a lot like [D]you were
[F]Old man look at my life, I’m a lot like [D]you were [F] [C] [G]

[verse 2]
[D] [F] [C] [F]
[D]Old man [F]look at my life, [C]twenty four and there’s [G]so much more
[D]Live alone in a [F]paradise that [C]makes me think of [F]two

[verse 3]
[D]Love lost, [F]such a cost [C]give me things that [G]don’t get lost
[D]Like a coin that [C]won’t get tossed, [F]rolling home to [G]you

[chorus]
[D] [D] [Am] [Em] [G]
[D]Old man take a look at my life, [Am]I’m a lot like [Em]you [G]
[D]I need someone to love me, [Am]the whole day [Em]through [G]
[D]Ah, one look in my eyes, [Am]and you can tell that’s [Em]true [G]

[verse 4]
[D] [F] [C] [G] [D] [F] [C] [F]
[D]Lullabies, [F]look in your eyes, [C]run around the [G]same old town
[D]Doesn’t mean that [F]much to me, to [C]mean that much to [F]you
[D]I’ve been [F]first and last [C]look at how the [G]time goes past
[D]But I’m all [C]alone at last, [F]rolling home to [G]you

[chorus]
[D] [D] [Am] [Em] [G]
[D]Old man take a look at my life, [Am]I’m a lot like [Em]you [G]
[D]I need someone to love me, [Am]the whole day [Em]through [G]
[D]Ah, one look in my eyes, [Am]and you can tell that’s [Em]true [G]

[Closing]
[F] [D]
[F]Old man look at my life, I’m a lot like [D]you were
[F]Old man look at my life, I’m a lot like [D]you were [F] [C] [G] [D]

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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.
ArtistNeil Young
AlbumHarvest
GenresCountry, Country Rock, Folk, Folk Rock, Rock, Soft Rock, Classic Rock
Year1972
KeyF

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

Neil Young - Old Man 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.

Old Man uses these transitions most often: D → F (16), G → D (16), and F → C (11). 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 - D chord transition.

1. F → D chord transition

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

To move from F to D;

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

2. F → C chord transition

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

To move from F to C;

  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 B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
F to C

3. 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

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.
C to G

4. 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.
G to D

5. D → C chord transition

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.

6. F → G chord transition

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.

7. D → Am chord transition

To move 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.

8. Am → Em chord transition

To move from Am to Em;

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

9. Em → G chord transition

To move from Em to G;

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

Old Man chord transition analysis

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

  • Old Man includes 96 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Old Man contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Old Man connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → C: 14%
    • D → Am: 4%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → 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.