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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.

Ben E. King - Stand By Me Chords

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

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

GGEmEm
CDGG
WhenthenightGhascomeGandEmthelandis Emdark
Andthemo-Conistheon-Dlylightwe'llGseeG
No,Iwo-Gn'tbeaf-Graid,no,IEmwon'tbe Emafraid
JustasClongasyou Dst-and,standbyGmeSoGdarlin',darlin'
GStandby Gme,oh,EmstandbyEmme
Oh,Cstand,Dstandby Gme,standbymeG
IftheskyGthatwelook GuponEmshouldtumbleandEmfall
Orthe Cmount-ainsshouldDcrumbletotheGseaG
Iwon'tcry,GIwon't Gcry,no,IEmwon'tshedaEmtear
JustaslongCasyou Dstand,standbyGmeAndGdarling,darling
GStandby Gme,oh,EmstandbyEmme
Oh,Cstandnow,Dstandby Gme,standbymeG
GGEmEm
CDGG
GGEmEm
CDarling,Ddarling
GStandby Gme,oh,EmstandbyEmme
Oh,Cstandnow,standDbyme,standGbyme
GWheneveryou'reintroublewon'tyou
GStandby Gme,oh,EmstandbyEmme
Oh,Cstandnow,oh,Dstand,stand Gbyme
(fadeout)
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.
ArtistBen E. King
AlbumSingle
Year1996
KeyA
DifficultyEasy

How to play Stand By Me on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Ben E. King - Stand By Me on guitar requires 4 chords and 4 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.

Stand By Me uses these transitions most often: C → D (11), D → G (11), and Em → C (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 G - Em chord transition.

1. G → Em chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from G to Em:

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

This transition appears in the intro, played 11 times.

G to Em

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

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the intro, played 11 times.

Em to C

3. C → D chord transition

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

Here's how to move from C 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 A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the intro, played 11 times.

C to D

4. D → G chord transition

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

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.

This transition appears in the intro, played 11 times.

D to G

Stand By Me chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Stand By Me.

  • Stand By Me includes 44 chord transitions, 4 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Stand By Me contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Stand By Me connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → Em: 9%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 26%
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.