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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.

Louis Armstrong - St. James Infirmary Blues Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsDm, A, A7, Gm, Bb
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 A key to play this song with easier chords.

DmIwentdowntotheASt.JamesDmInfirmary
IsawmyDmbabylyingGmthere,A7
ShewasDmlaidoutonaAlongwhiteDmtable,A7
SoBbcold,soApale,soDmfair.A7
LetherDmgo,letherAgo,godDmblessA7her
DmWherevershemayGmbe,A7
ShemayDmsearchthisAwideworldDmover,
She’llBbneverfindaAsweetmanlikeDmme.A7
WhenIDmdieburyAmeinmyDmstraitlacedA7shoes,
BoxbackDmjacketandastetsonGmhat,A7
PutaDm20dollarAgoldpieceonmyDmwatchchain,
SoBbmyfriendsknowIAdiedstandingDmpat.A7
IwantDm6crapAshootin’Dmpallbearers,
6chorusDmgirlstosingmeaGmsong,A7
PutaDmredhotAjazzbandonmyDmtailgate,
ToraiseBbhell,asIArollDmalong.A7
NowDmthatI’veAtoldmyDmstory,A7
I’lltakeDmanotherbottleofGmbooze,A7
AndifDmanyoneshouldAhappentoDmaskA7me,
IgotthoseBbSt.JamesAInfirmaryDmblues.
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.
ArtistLouis Armstrong
AlbumSatchmo Plays King Oliver
GenresJazz
Year1960
KeyDm
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play St. James Infirmary Blues on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Louis Armstrong - St. James Infirmary Blues on guitar requires 5 chords and 7 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.

St. James Infirmary Blues uses these transitions most often: A → Dm (15), A7 → Dm (14), and Dm → A7 (12). 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 Dm - A chord transition.

1. Dm → A chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

Here's how to move from Dm to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 10 times.

Dm to A

2. Dm → A7 chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

Switching from Dm to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

Dm to A7

3. Dm → Gm chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram

Switching from Dm to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

Dm to Gm

4. Gm → A7 chord transition

Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

Switching from Gm to A7:

  1. While playing Gm, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to B string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

Gm to A7

5. A7 → Bb chord transition

To move from A7 to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

6. Bb → A chord transition

Switching from Bb to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

7. Dm → Bb chord transition

To move from Dm to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

St. James Infirmary Blues chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in St. James Infirmary Blues.

  • St. James Infirmary Blues includes 71 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how St. James Infirmary Blues connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → Bb: 9%
    • Dm → Gm: 5%
    After A7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (41%), D7 (18%), and Dm (13%).
    • A7 → Dm: 13%
    • A7 → Bb: 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.