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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.

Christmas Carol - Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, C, Em, Am7, D, G7, A7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

YouGbetterwatchout,youCbetternotcry
YouGbetternotpout,I’mCtellingyouwhy
GSantaEmClausisAm7comingtoDtownG
He’sGmakingalist,andCcheckingittwice;
GGonnafindoutwho’sCnaughtyandnice.
GSantaEmClausisAm7comingtoDtownG
HeG7seesyouwhenyou’reCsleeping
HeG7knowswhenyou’reCawake
HeA7knowsifyou’vebeenDbadorgood
SobeA7goodforgoodnessDsake
YouGbetterwatchout,youCbetternotcry
YouGbetternotpout,I’mCtellingyouwhy
GSantaEmClausisAm7comingtoDtownG
GSantaEmClausisAm7comingtoDtownG
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.
ArtistChristmas Carol
AlbumSanta Claus Is Comin' to Town
GenresChristmas
Year1934
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Christmas Carol - Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town on guitar requires 7 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.

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town uses these transitions most often: C → G (6), G → C (6), and D → G (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 G - C chord transition.

1. 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

Here's how to move 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 chorus, played 6 times.

G to C

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

Here's how 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 chorus, played 4 times.

G to Em

3. Em → Am7 chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar Am7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-1-0Guitar Am7 chord diagram

Switching from Em to Am7:

  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 D string fret 2.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

Em to Am7

4. Am7 → D chord transition

Guitar Am7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-1-0Guitar Am7 chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from Am7 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. Place ring finger on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

Am7 to D

5. D → G chord transition

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 chorus, played 5 times.

6. G → G7 chord transition

Switching from G to G7:

  1. Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse.

7. G7 → C chord transition

To move from G7 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 1 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

8. C → A7 chord transition

To move from C to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

9. A7 → D chord transition

Switching 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 2 times.

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town.

  • Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town includes 37 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town 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 → C: 25%
    • G → Em: 9%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → G7: 2%
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.