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Shawn Mendes - Hold On Chords

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

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to E key to play this song with easier chords.

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

[Opening]
[Am] [F] [C] [Am] [F] [C]
[Am]Stop, [F]take it in, and [C]I breath for a minute
[Am]I think too [F]much when I’m [C]alone, [Am]I [F]never win when I
[C]Keep my thoughts inside, [Am] [F]so I pick up the [C]phone

[chorus]
And my [C]dad said [F]”Shawn, stay with [Am]me
Every[G]thing will be al[C]right[F] [Am] [G]
I know I [C]haven’t [F]seen you [Am]lately
[G]But you’re always on my [C]mind” [F] [Am] [G]

[chorus]
I [F]don’t know [C]what, you’re [G]going [Am]through
But there’s [F]so much [C]life, [G]ahead of [Am]you
And it won’t [F]slow [C]down, no matter [E]what you [Am]do
So you just gotta [F]hold on [C] [G] [C]
All we can do is [F]hold [C]on, [G]yeah [C]

[verse 2]
[Am]These [F]days are flying [C]by weeks feel like minutes
[Am]I [F]can’t remember being [C]small, [Am]I try [F]to figure it out
[C]I can’t seem to find out how, [Am]I [F]guess I don’t know much [C]at all

[chorus]
And my [C]dad said [F]”Shawn, stay with [Am]me
Every[G]thing will be al[C]right[F] [Am] [G]
I know I [C]haven’t [F]seen you [Am]lately
[G]But you’re always on my [C]mind” [F] [Am] [G]

[chorus]
I [F]don’t know [C]what, you’re [G]going [Am]through
But there’s [F]so much [C]life, [G]ahead of [Am]you
And it won’t [F]slow [C]down, no matter [E]what you [Am]do
So you just gotta [F]hold on [C] [G] [C]
All we can do is [Am]hold [G]on, [C]yeah [F]

[verse 3]
All we can do is [Am]hold [G]on [C] [F]
Yeah, you just gotta [Am]hold [G]on
Just, just [C] [F]hold on, just [Am]hold [G]on for [F]me

[Closing]
And my [C]dad said [F]”Shawn, stay with [Am]me
Every[G]thing will be al[C]right[F] [Am] [G]

[chorus]
I [F]don’t know [C]what, you’re [G]going [Am]through
But there’s [F]so much [C]life, [G]ahead of [Am]you
And it won’t [F]slow [C]down, no matter [E]what you [Am]do
So you just gotta [F]hold on [C] [G] [C]
All we can do is [F]hold [C]on, [G]yeah [C]
Yeah, you just gotta [F]hold on [C] [G] [C]
Just [G]hold on for [C]me

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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.
ArtistShawn Mendes
AlbumIlluminate
GenresPop
Year2016
KeyAm

How to play Hold On on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Shawn Mendes - Hold On on guitar requires 5 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.

Hold On uses these transitions most often: F → C (26), Am → F (19), and G → C (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 - F chord transition.

1. Am → F chord transition

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

To move from Am 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. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
Am to F

2. F → C chord transition

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

To move from F to C;

  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 B string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
F to C

3. C → Am chord transition

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

To move from C to Am;

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

4. Am → G chord transition

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

To move from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
Am to G

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. C → E chord transition

To move from C to E;

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

8. E → Am chord transition

To move from E to Am;

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

Hold On chord transition analysis

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

  • Hold On includes 144 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Hold On contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Hold On 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%
    • C → F: 16%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → Am: 11%
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.