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Crowded House - Sister Madly Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsEm, A, C, Am, D, G, B7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • 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
  • 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
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[Em][A][Em][C]
[Em]now you’re heading down to [Am]get someone
[Em]should’ve done what he [C]had to do years ago
[Em]the position is [A]coming through
[Em]all the people that you’re [C]standing on
[Em]all the people that you’re [A]standing on

[verse 2]
[Em]now you’re heading down to [C]be someone
[Em]someone that you’ve [A]seen in a magazine
[Em]your premonition is [C]coming true
[Em]oh baby you’re [A]not so green
[Em]no baby you’re [C]not so green
[Em]no baby you’re [C]not so

[chorus]
sister [Am]madly [D]waking up the [G]dead [D]
you’re system[Am]atically [D]stepping on my [G]head [D]
sister [Am]madly [D]waking up the [G]dead [D]
you’re system[Am]atically [B7]stepping on my [Em]head

[verse 3]
[Em]now you’re heading down to [A]find something
[Em]something that you [C]buried in your back yard
[Em]the position is [A]coming through
[Em]from all the dirt that you’re [C]digging up
[Em]from all the dirt that you’re [A]digging up

[verse 4]
[Em]now you’re heading down to [C]be somewhere
[Em]somewhere you [A]imagined in your wildest dream
[Em]your position is [C]coming through
[Em]from all the people that you’re [A]standing on
[Em]from all the people that you’re [C]standing on
[Em]now you better take a [C]firm hand

[chorus]
sister [Am]madly [D]waking up the [G]dead [D]
you’re system[Am]atically [D]stepping on my [G]head [D]
sister [Am]madly [D]waking up the [G]dead [D]
you’re system[Am]atically [B7]stepping on my [Em]head

[Closing]
[Em]now you’re heading down to get someone
[Em]someone that you should’ve had years ago
[Em]the position is coming through
[Em]all the people that you’re standing on
[Em]all the people that you’re [A]standing on
[Em]all the people that you’re [C]standing on
[Em]uh hard to get a [C]hand on

[chorus]
sister [Am]madly [D]waking up the [G]dead [D]
you’re system[Am]atically [D]stepping on my [G]head [D]
sister [Am]madly [D]waking up the [G]dead [D]
you’re system[Am]atically [B7]stepping on my [Em]head

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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.
ArtistCrowded House
AlbumTemple of Low Men
GenresAlternative, Indie, Rock
Year1988
KeyEm

How to play Sister Madly on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Crowded House - Sister Madly 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.

Sister Madly uses these transitions most often: Em → C (15), C → Em (12), and A → Em (11). 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 Em - A chord transition.

1. 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.
Em to A

2. Em → C chord transition

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

To move from Em to C;

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

3. Em → Am chord transition

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

To move from Em to Am;

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

4. 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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Am → B7 chord transition

To move from Am to B7;

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

8. B7 → Em chord transition

To move from B7 to Em;

  1. While playing B7, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.

Sister Madly chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sister Madly.

  • Sister Madly includes 96 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Sister Madly contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Sister Madly 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 (17%).
    • Em → C: 26%
    • Em → Am: 12%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → Am: 4%
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.