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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.

Israel IZ Kamakawiwo’olee - Somewhere Over the Rainbow Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Em, F, G, Am, E7, Dm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

[Opening]
[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow [F]way up [C]high
[F]And the [C]dreams that you dream of [G]once in a lulla[Am]by [F]
[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow [F]blue birds [C]fly
[F]And the [C]dreams that you dare to dream, [G]really do come [Am]true [F]

[chorus]
Some[C]day I’ll wish upon a star, [G]wake up where the clouds are far be[Am]hind [F]me
Where [C]trouble melts like lemon drops
Way [G]high above the chimney tops is [Am]where you’ll [F]find me

[verse 2]
[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow [F]bluebirds [C]fly
[F]Birds fly [C]over the rainbow, [G]why then, oh why [Am]can’t I? [F]

[verse 3]
Well I see [C]trees of [G]green and [F]red roses [C]too,
[F]I’ll watch then [C]bloom for [E7]me and [Am]you
And I [F]think to myself, [G]what a wonderful [Am]world [F]

[verse 4]
Well I see [C]skies of [G]blue and I see [F]clouds of [C]white
The [F]bright blessed the [C]day, the [E7]dark sacred [Am]night
And I [F]think to myself, [G]what a wonderful [C]world [F][C]

[verse 5]
The [G]colours of the rainbow so [C]pretty in the sky
Are [G]also on the faces of [C]people passing by
I see [F]friends shaking [C]hands saying, [F]‘How do you [C]do?’
[F]They’re really [C]saying, [Dm]‘I, I love [G]you’

[verse 6]
I hear [C]babies [G]cry and I [F]watch them [C]grow,
[F]They’ll learn [C]much more [E7]than we’ll [Am]know
And I [F]think to myself, [G]what a wonderful [Am]world [F]

[chorus]
Some[C]day I’ll wish upon a star, [G]wake up where the clouds are far be[Am]hind [F]me
Where [C]trouble melts like lemon drops
Way [G]high above the chimney tops is [Am]where [F]you’ll find me

[Closing]
[C]Somewhere [Em]over the rainbow [F]blue [C]birds fly
[F]Birds fly [C]over the rainbow, [G]why then oh why can’t [Am]I [F]

[outro]
[C][Em][F][C]

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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.
ArtistIsrael IZ Kamakawiwo'olee
AlbumKa 'Ano'i
GenresPop, Hawaii
Year1990
KeyC

How to play Somewhere Over the Rainbow on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Israel IZ Kamakawiwo'olee - Somewhere Over the Rainbow on guitar requires 7 chords and 11 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.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow uses these transitions most often: F → C (29), Am → F (13), and C → G (13). 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 - Em chord transition.

1. C → Em chord transition

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

To move from C to Em;

  1. While playing C, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D 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.
C to Em

2. Em → F chord transition

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

To move from Em to F;

  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 A string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on E string fret 1.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.
Em to F

3. 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

4. C → G chord transition

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

To move from C 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 A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
C to G

5. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am;

  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 G string fret 2.

6. Am → F chord transition

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.

7. 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.

8. C → E7 chord transition

To move from C to E7;

  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 G string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 2.

9. E7 → Am chord transition

To move from E7 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. Place ring finger on G string fret 2.

10. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm;

  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 A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

11. Dm → G chord transition

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.

Somewhere Over the Rainbow chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Somewhere Over the Rainbow.

  • Somewhere Over the Rainbow includes 104 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Somewhere Over the Rainbow contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Somewhere Over the Rainbow 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 → G: 21%
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.