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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.

Carpenters - Only Yesterday Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, Em, A7, G, C, F#, Bm, Em7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

DAfterlongenoughofbeingEmalone
EveryonemustA7facetheirshareofDloneliness
InmyowntimenobodyA7knewthepainIwasgoingGthrough
EmWaitingwasallmyA7heartcoulddo
DHopewasallIhaduntilyouEmcame
Maybeyoucan’tA7seehowmuchyouDmeanttome
YouwerethedawnbreakingtheA7nightthepromiseofmorningGlight
EmFillingtheworld A7surroundingmewhenIholdyou
CBabybabyfeelslikemaybethingswillbe Emalright
CBabybabyyourlove’smademefreeasthesongA7singingforever
DOnlyyesterdaywhenIwasEmsadandIwasA7lonely
DYoushowedmethewaytoleavetheEmpastandallit’sA7tearsbehindme
TomorrowF#maybeevenBmbrighterthantoday
SinceEmIthrewmyA7sadness Em7away,A7only Dyesterday
DIhavefoundmyhomehereinyourEmarms
NowhereelseonA7earthI’dreallyratherDbe
LifewaitsforusshareitwithA7me,thebestisabouttoGbe
EmAndsomuchisleftforA7ustosee,WhenIholdyou
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.
ArtistCarpenters
AlbumHorizon
GenresPop
Year1975
KeyD
DifficultyIntermediate

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

Carpenters - Only Yesterday 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.

Only Yesterday uses these transitions most often: Em → A7 (9), A7 → D (7), and D → Em (5). 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 - Em chord transition.

1. 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

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

2. Em → A7 chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from Em to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

Em to A7

3. A7 → D chord transition

Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

Here's how to move from A7 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 B string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

A7 to D

4. A7 → G chord transition

Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

Here's how to move from A7 to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

A7 to G

5. G → Em chord transition

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 3 times.

6. A7 → C chord transition

Switching from A7 to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

7. C → Em chord transition

Here's how to move from C to Em:

  1. While playing C, 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 A string fret 3 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse.

8. A7 → F# chord transition

Switching from A7 to F#:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

9. F# → Bm chord transition

Here's how to move from F# to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

10. Bm → Em chord transition

To move 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 verse.

11. A7 → Em7 chord transition

Switching from A7 to Em7:

  1. While playing A7, lift your index finger from D string fret 2.
  2. Lift your middle finger from B string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse.

Only Yesterday chord transition analysis

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

  • Only Yesterday includes 39 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Only Yesterday contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Only Yesterday connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (41%), D7 (18%), and Dm (13%).
    • A7 → D: 41%
    • A7 → G: 4%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 26%
    • Em → A7: 1%
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.