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Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsF, D, C, Bb, G, D7, Em
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 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
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

[Opening]
[F] [D] [F] [D] [F] [D] [C] [Bb] [G]
[G]Left a good job in the city,
Workin’ for the man every night and day
And I never lost one minute of sleepin’
Worryin’ ’bout the way things might have been
[D7]Big wheel keep on turnin’
[Em]Proud Mary keep on burnin’
[G]Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ on the river
[G]Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ on the river

[interlude]
[F] [D] [F] [D] [F] [D] [C] [Bb] [G]

[verse 2]
[G]Cleaned a lot of plates in Memphis
Pumped a lot of pain down in New Orleans
But I never saw the good side of the city
‘Til I hitched a ride on a river boat queen
[D7]Big wheel keep on turnin’
[Em]Proud Mary keep on burnin’
[G]Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ on the river
[G]Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ on the river

[interlude]
[F] [D] [F] [D] [F] [D] [C] [Bb] [G]

[Closing]
[G]If you come down to the river
Bet you gonna find some people who live
You don’t have to worry ’cause you have no money
People on the river are happy to give
[D7]Big wheel keep on turnin’
[Em]Proud Mary keep on burnin’
[G]Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ on the river
[G]Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ on the river
[G]Rollin’ rollin’ rollin’ on the river

[outro]
[F] [D] [F] [D] [F] [D] [C] [Bb] [G]

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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.
ArtistCreedence Clearwater Revival
AlbumBayou Country
GenresRock, Classic Rock
Year1969
KeyG

How to play Proud Mary on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Creedence Clearwater Revival - Proud Mary on guitar requires 7 chords and 8 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.

Proud Mary uses these transitions most often: F → D (12), D → F (8), and Bb → G (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 - D chord transition.

1. F → D chord transition

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

To move from F to D;

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

2. 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.
D to C

3. C → Bb chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C 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 C to Bb;

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

4. Bb → G chord transition

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

To move from Bb to G;

  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 3.
Bb to G

5. G → D7 chord transition

To move from G to D7;

  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 G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 2.

6. D7 → Em chord transition

To move from D7 to Em;

  1. While playing D7, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 2 to D string fret 2.

7. Em → G chord transition

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.

8. 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.

Proud Mary chord transition analysis

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

  • Proud Mary includes 44 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Proud Mary contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Proud Mary connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → F: 9%
    • G → D7: 1%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → D: 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.