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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.

Roy Orbison - Only The Lonely Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsF, Gm, Bb, C7, F7, G7
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 Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-1-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F7 chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

[Opening]
Dum-dum-dum-[F]dumby-doo-wah [F]
Ooh-yay-yay-[Gm]yay-yeah [Gm]
Oh-oh-oh-[Bb]oh-wah [C7]
Only the [F]lonely [C7]
Only the [F]lonely [F]

[verse 2]
Only the [F]lonely (Dum-dum-dum-[F]dumby-doo-wah)
Know the [F]way I feel to- [Gm]night
(Ooh-yay-yay-[Gm]yay-yeah)
Only the [C7]lonely
(Dum-dum-dum-[C7]dumby-doo-wah)
Know this [Bb]feeling ain’t [F]right
(Dum-dum-dum-[F]dumby-doo-wah)

[verse 3]
There goes my baby [F] [F] [F] [F]
There goes my heart [F7] [F7] [F7] [F7]
They’re gone for ever [Bb] [Bb] [Bb] [Bb]
So far apart [G7] [G7] [G7] [C7]
But only the [F]lonely[F]

[verse 4]
Know why I, I [Bb]I [C7]cry
Only the [F]lonely, dum-dum-dum-[F]dumby-doo-wah [F]
Ooh-yay-yay-[Gm]yay-yeah [Gm]
Oh-oh-oh-[Bb]oh-wah [C7]
Only the [F]lonely [C7]
Only the [F]lonely [F]

[verse 5]
Only the [F]lonely (Dum-dum-dum-[F]dumby-doo-wah)
Know the [F]heartaches I’ve been [Gm]through(Ooh-yay-yay-[Gm]yay-yeah)
Only the [C7]lonely (Dum-dum-dum-[C7]dumby-doo-wah)
Know I [Bb]cried and cried for [F]you(Dum-dum-dum-[F]dumby-doo-wah)

[Closing]
Maybe tomorrow [F] [F] [F] [F]
A new romance [F7] [F7] [F7] [F7]
No more sorrow [Bb] [Bb] [Bb] [Bb]
But that’s the chance [G7] [G7] [G7] [C7]
{slow} You’ve gotta take
{normal} If your [Bb]lonely heart [C7]breaks
[C7]Only the [F]lonely
Dum-dum-dum-[F]dumby-doo[F]wah

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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.
ArtistRoy Orbison
AlbumLonely and Blue
GenresCountry, Country Rock, Rock
Year1960
KeyF

How to play Only The Lonely on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Roy Orbison - Only The Lonely 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.

Only The Lonely uses these transitions most often: C7 → F (7), Bb → C7 (4), and F → Gm (4). 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 - Gm chord transition.

1. F → Gm chord transition

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

To move from F 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. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky from D string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
F to Gm

2. Gm → Bb chord transition

Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from Gm to Bb;

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

3. Bb → C7 chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram

To move from Bb to C7;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 3 to fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Slide your pinky from B string fret 3 to G string fret 3.
Bb to C7

4. C7 → F chord transition

Guitar C7 chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-3-1-0Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from C7 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. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.
C7 to F

5. Gm → C7 chord transition

To move from Gm to C7;

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

6. Bb → F chord transition

To move from Bb to F;

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

7. F → F7 chord transition

To move from F to F7;

  1. While playing F, lift your pinky from D string fret 3.
  2. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.

8. F7 → Bb chord transition

To move from F7 to Bb;

  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 D string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.

9. Bb → G7 chord transition

To move from Bb to G7;

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

10. G7 → C7 chord transition

To move from G7 to C7;

  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 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.

Only The Lonely chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Only The Lonely.

  • Only The Lonely includes 35 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Only The Lonely contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Only The Lonely connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → Bb: 5%
    • F → Gm: 1%
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → F: 34%
    • Bb → C7: 2%
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.