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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.

James Taylor - Secret O’ Life Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, G7, F, Em, A, Dm, G, Cmaj7, C7, Em7, A7, Gm
Strumming↓-↓↑

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

CG7
CThesecretoflifeisG7enjoyingthepassageofCtimeG7
CAnyfoolcanG7doitG7,Cthereain’tnothingtoitG7
FNobodyknowshowweEmgottothetopoftheAhillA
ButDmsincewe’reonourwayG7down
WeDmmightaswellenjoytheGride
TheCsecretofloveisinG7openingupyourCheartG7
CIt’sokaytofeel G7afraidG7
ButCdon’tletthatstandinyourwayG7
‘CauseFeveryoneknowsthatEmloveistheonlyAroadAA
AndDmsincewe’reonlyhereforaG7while
WeDmmightaswellshowsomeGstyle
Cmaj7GiveusasmileG7G7
C7Isn’titaFlovelyride,EmslidingEm7downandAglidingA7down
DmTrynottotrytooG7hard,it’sjustalovelyCrideG7
CNowthethingabouttimeisthatG7timeisn’treallyCrealG7
CIt’sjustyourpointofCview,ChowdoesitfeelforyouG7
FEinsteinsaidhecouldEmneverunderstanditAallA
DmPlanetsspinningthroughG7space
TheDmsmileuponyourGface
Cmaj7WelcometothehumanG7raceG7C7
SomekindofFlovelyride,
I’llbeEmslidingEm7down,I’llbeAglidingA7down
DmTrynottotrytooG7hard,it’sjustalovelyCrideGm
C7Isn’titaFlovelyride,
I’llbeEmslidingEm7down,seemeAglidingAdown
DmTrynottotrytoohard,G7it’sjustalovelyCrideG7
Now,theCsecretoflifeisG7enjoyingthepassageofCtime
G7C7
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.
ArtistJames Taylor
AlbumJT
GenresFolk
Year1977
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Secret O' Life on Guitar (Step-by-step)

James Taylor - Secret O' Life on guitar requires 12 chords and 18 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.

Secret O' Life uses these transitions most often: C → G7 (16), G7 → C (15), and Dm → G7 (6). 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 - G7 chord transition.

1. C → G7 chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram

Switching from C to G7:

  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 1.

This transition appears in the verse, played 16 times.

C to G7

2. G7 → F chord transition

Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

Switching from G7 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 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

G7 to F

3. F → Em chord transition

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

Here's how to move from F to Em:

  1. While playing F, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your middle finger from G 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 6 times.

F to Em

4. Em → A chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

To move from Em to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

Em to A

5. A → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from A to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

6. Dm → G7 chord transition

Switching from Dm to G7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

7. Dm → G chord transition

Here's how to move from Dm to G:

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

8. G → C chord transition

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 verse.

9. G → Cmaj7 chord transition

Here's how to move from G to Cmaj7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

10. Cmaj7 → G7 chord transition

To move from Cmaj7 to G7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

11. G7 → C7 chord transition

To move from G7 to C7:

  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.
  4. Place pinky on G string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

12. C7 → F chord transition

To move from C7 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. Lift your pinky from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

13. Em → Em7 chord transition

Switching from Em to Em7:

  1. While playing Em, lift your ring finger from D string fret 2.
  2. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

14. Em7 → A chord transition

Here's how to move from Em7 to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

15. A → A7 chord transition

Here's how to move from A to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

16. A7 → Dm chord transition

Switching from A7 to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

17. C → Gm chord transition

Switching from C to Gm:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  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 B string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

18. Gm → C7 chord transition

To move from Gm to C7:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

Secret O' Life chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Secret O' Life.

  • Secret O' Life includes 82 chord transitions, 18 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Secret O' Life contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Secret O' Life connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C: 69%
    • G7 → C7: 5%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G7: 2%
    • C → Gm: 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.