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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.

Maroon 5 - Payphone Chords

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

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

I’mataCpayphonetryingtoGcallhome
AllofmyEmchangeI’vespentDonyou
WherearetheCtimesgonebaby
It’sallGwrong,wherearetheEmplanswemadeforDtwo?
Yeah,I,ICknowit’shardtoGremember
ThepeopleweusedtoEmbe,it’sevenhardertoDpicture
Thatyou’renotherenexttoCme,
Yousaidit’stoolatetomakeGit
ButisittoolatetoEmtry?
AndthenthattimethatyouDwasted
Allofourbridgesburntdown.
CI’vewastedmyGnights
YouturnedouttheDlights,nowI’mDparalyzed
StillstuckedinthatCtimewhenwecalleditGlove
ButeventheEmsunsetsinDparadise
I’mataCpayphonetryingtoGcallhome
AllofmyEmchangeI’vespentDonyou
WherearetheCtimesgone
Baby,it’sallGwrong,
It’sallGwrong,wherearetheEmplanswemadeforDtwo?
IfhappyeverCafterdidGexist
IwouldstillbeEmholdingyoulikeDthis
AndallthoseCfairytalesarefullofGit
OnemorefuckingEmlovesongI’llbeDsafe
COh,youturnedbackonGtomorrow
CauseyouforgotEmyesterday
IgaveyoumylovetoDborrow
ButjustgaveitCaway
Youcan’texpectmetobeaGfine
Idon’texpectyoutoEmcare
IknowIsaiditbefore
DButallofourbridgesburnedCdown
I’vewastedmyGnights
YouturnedouttheEmlights
NowI’mDparalyzed
StillstuckedinthatCtimewhenwecalleditGlove
ButeventheEmsunsetsinDparadise
I’mataCpayphonetryingtoGcallhome
AllofmyEmchangeI’vespentDonyou
WherearetheCtimesgonebaby
It’sallGwrong,we’reattheEmplacewemadeforDtwo
IfhappyeverCafterdidGexist
IwouldstillbeEmholdingyoulikeDthis
AndallthoseCfairytalesarefullofGit
OnemorestupidEmlovesongI’llbeDsafe
NowI’matapayphone…C
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.
ArtistMaroon 5
AlbumOverexposed
GenresPop
Year2012
KeyC
DifficultyEasy

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

Maroon 5 - Payphone on guitar requires 4 chords and 5 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.

Payphone uses these transitions most often: C → G (18), D → C (18), and Em → D (17). 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 C - G chord transition.

1. 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

Switching 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 18 times.

C 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 17 times.

G to Em

3. Em → D chord transition

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

Switching from Em to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 17 times.

Em to D

4. 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

Switching 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 18 times.

D to C

5. G → D chord transition

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the chorus.

Payphone chord transition analysis

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

  • Payphone includes 71 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Payphone contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Payphone connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → Em: 9%
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.