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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.

John Hiatt - Perfectly Good Guitar Chords

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

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

AmEmGCDEmAmEmDGCDEmDEmDEm
WellheEmthrewonedownfromtheGtopofthestairs,AmbeautifulwomenwereCstanding Deverywhere
TheyEmallgotwetwhenheGsmashedthatthing,butAmoffinthedarkyoucouldDhearsomebodyGsing
OhitAmbreaksmyhearttoEmseethosestars,GsmashingaCperfectlyDgoodguitarEm
IAmdon’tknowwhotheyEmthinktheyDare,GsmashingaCperfectlyDgoodguitarEm
EmDEmEmDEm
ItEmstartedbackinG1963,hisAmmommawouldn’tbuyhimthatCnewredharmonyD
HeEmsettledforaGsunburstwithacrack,butAmhe’sstilltryingtoDbreakhismomma’sGback
OhitAmbreaksmyhearttoEmseethosestars,GsmashingaCperfectlyDgoodguitarEm
IAmdon’tknowwhotheyEmthinktheyDare,GsmashingaCperfectlyDgoodguitarEm
EmDEmEmDEm
HeEmlovedthatguitarjustGlikeagirlfriend,butAmeverygoodthingCcomestoanDend
NowhejustsitsinhisGroomallday,AmwhistlingeveryDnoteheeverGplayed
AmEmGCDEmAmEmDGCD
EmDEmEmDEm
ThereEmoughttobealawGwithnobail,AmsmashaguitarandyouCgotoDjail
EmWithnochanceforGearlyparole,youAmdon’tgetoutuntilyouDgetsomeGsoul
OhitAmbreaksmyhearttoEmseethosestars,GsmashingaCperfectlyDgoodguitarEm
IAmdon’tknowwhotheyEmthinktheyDare,GsmashingaCperfectlyDgoodguitarEm
EmDEmEmDEm
EmLateatnighttheGendoftheroad,heAmwisheshestillhadthatColdguitartoDhold
He’dEmrockitlikeaGbabyinhisarms,AmneverletitDcometoanyGharm
OhitAmbreaksmyhearttoEmseethosestars,GsmashingaCperfectlyDgoodEmguitar
IAmdon’tknowwhotheyEmthinktheyDare,GsmashingaCperfectlyDgood,good,Emguitar
EmDEmEmDEmEmDEmEmDEm
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.
ArtistJohn Hiatt
AlbumPerfectly Good Guitar
GenresRock
Year1993
KeyAm
DifficultyEasy

How to play Perfectly Good Guitar on Guitar (Step-by-step)

John Hiatt - Perfectly Good Guitar on guitar requires 5 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.

Perfectly Good Guitar uses these transitions most often: D → Em (30), Em → D (20), and C → 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 Am - Em chord transition.

1. Am → Em chord transition

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

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

Am to Em

2. Em → G chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

Switching 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, played 15 times.

Em to G

3. G → C chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Switching from G to C:

  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 3 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

G to C

4. C → D chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

Switching from C 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 A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 17 times.

C to D

5. D → Em chord transition

Switching 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 30 times.

6. D → G chord transition

Here's how to move from D to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

7. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am:

  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 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 15 times.

8. Am → C chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

9. Am → D chord transition

To move 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, played 5 times.

Perfectly Good Guitar chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Perfectly Good Guitar.

  • Perfectly Good Guitar includes 149 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Perfectly Good Guitar contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Perfectly Good Guitar connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → G: 18%
    • Em → D: 18%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Em: 17%
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.