Carpenters - Solitaire Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar Bm chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram
[Opening]
[D]There was a man [Bm]a lonely man
[A7]Who lost his love through his indiffe[D]rence
A heart that cared [Bm]that went unshared
[A7]Until it died within his [D]silence [A]
[verse 2]
And [D]solitaire’s the only game in [F#m]town
And [Bm]every road that takes him takes him down
And [Em]by himself it’s easy to pre[A]tend
He’ll never [D]love again [A]
[verse 3]
And [D]keeping to himself he plays the [F#m]game
With[Bm]out her love it always ends the same
While [Em]life goes on around him every[A]where
He’s playing [D]solitaire [A7]
[Closing]
[D]A little hope [Bm]goes up in smoke
[A7]Just how it goes goes without [D]saying
There was a man [Bm]a lonely man
[A7]Who would command the hand [D]he’s playing [A]
How to play Solitaire on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Carpenters - Solitaire on guitar requires 6 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.
Solitaire uses these transitions most often: A7 → D (5), A → D (4), and Bm → A7 (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 D - Bm chord transition.
1. D → Bm chord transition
To move from D to Bm;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to B string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 4.
- Place pinky on G string fret 4.
2. Bm → A7 chord transition
To move from Bm to A7;
- While playing Bm, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger on B string from fret 3 to fret 2.
3. A7 → D chord transition
To move from A7 to D;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on B string fret 3.
4. D → A chord transition
To move from D to A;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 3 to fret 2.
5. D → F#m chord transition
To move from D to F#m;
- While playing D, lift your middle finger from E string fret 2.
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from B string fret 3 to A string fret 4.
- Place pinky on D string fret 4.
6. F#m → Bm chord transition
To move from F#m to Bm;
- Keep index finger on E string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 4 and place it on D string fret 4.
- Slide your pinky from D string fret 4 to G string fret 4.
- Place middle finger on B string fret 3.
7. Bm → Em chord transition
To move from Bm to Em;
- While playing Bm, first lift your index finger and pinky.
- Lift your middle finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on D string from fret 4 to fret 2.
8. Em → A chord transition
To move from Em to A;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from D string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
- Place index finger on D string fret 2.
Solitaire chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Solitaire.
- Solitaire includes 29 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Solitaire contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Solitaire connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
- D → A: 17%
- D → Bm: 5%
After Bm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (25%), A (19%), and Em (13%).- Bm → Em: 13%
- Bm → A7: 0%