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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.

Parmalee - Carolina Chords

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

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

GDEmDC
CHomeiswheremyheartisstillGbeating,ICdon’tknowwhenI’llseeherGagain
IChatetoseehercrywhenI’mGleaving,butnowI’maDthousandmilesawayCagain
ShefeelslikeGCarolina,lookslikeDCalifornia
ShininglikethoseEmNewYorkDlightsonCBroadway
WhenshelooksbackGI’mbehindher,I’llalwaysbethereDforher
ShemakesmefeellikeEmhome’snotDsofarCaway,sheDfeelslikeCCarolina
It’sChardtounderstandthewayI’mGliving,ICknowyouthinkI’mneverGcomingDhome
CButImissyourprettysmile,andI’mGcomingbackinalittlewhile
ButI’maDthousandmilesawayCagain
ShefeelslikeGCarolina,lookslikeDCalifornia
ShininglikethoseEmNewYorkDlightsonCBroadway
WhenshelooksbackGI’mbehindher,I’llalwaysbethereDforher
ShemakesmefeellikeEmhome’snotDsofarCaway,sheDfeelslikeCCarolina
ShemakesmefeellikeEmhome’sDnotsofarCaway,FnomatterhowfarIgo
AmYouknowIcan’tstopthinkingGabouther,andthere’sFnothinglikethewayIfeel
AmThewayIfeelwhenI’mDbesideher
COhDoh,ohoh,Emohoh,Dohoh,CohDoh,ohohEm
ShefeelslikeGCarolina,lookslikeDCalifornia
ShininglikethoseEmNewYorkDlightsonCBroadway
ShefeelslikeGCarolina,lookslikeDCalifornia
Shininglikethose EmNewYorkDlightson CBroadway
WhenshelooksbackI’mGbehindher,I’llalwaysbethereDforher
ShemakesmefeellikeEmhome’snotDsofarCaway,GCarolina,DCalifornia
LikeEmhome’snotDsofarCaway,shefeelsGlikeCarolina
LookslikeDCalifornia,shemakesmefeellikeEmhome’snotDsofarCaway
ShemakesmefeellikeEmhome’snotDsofarCaway
ShemakesmefeellikeEmhome’snotDsofarCaway
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.
ArtistParmalee
AlbumFeels Like Carolina
GenresCountry
Year2013
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

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

Parmalee - Carolina on guitar requires 6 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.

Carolina uses these transitions most often: D → C (21), C → G (14), and Em → D (14). 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 G - D chord transition.

1. 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

Switching 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 14 times.

G to D

2. 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 12 times.

D to Em

3. D → C chord transition

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

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 verse, played 21 times.

D to C

4. 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 14 times.

C to G

5. C → Em chord transition

Switching 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, played 3 times.

6. C → F chord transition

Here's how to move from C 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. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

7. F → Am chord transition

To move from F to Am:

  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. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

8. Am → G chord transition

Switching from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

9. G → F chord transition

To move from G to F:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

10. Am → D chord transition

Switching from Am to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

11. Em → G chord transition

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse.

Carolina chord transition analysis

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

  • Carolina includes 91 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Carolina contains 9 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Carolina 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 → Em: 17%
    • D → C: 14%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
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.