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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.

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsDm, C, Bb, A, A7, F
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

DmYougetashiverinthedark,
It’saCrainingintheBbparkbut AmeantimeA7A
DmSouthoftheriveryouCstopandyouhold DmeverythingA7A
FAbandisblowingDixie,doubleCfourtime
BbYoufeelalrightwhenyouhearthemusicDmringBbC
WellnowyouDmstepinsidebutyouCdon’tseeBbtoomanyAfacesA7
DmCominginoutoftheCraintheyheartheBbjazzgoAdownA7
FCompetitioninotherCplaces
UhBbbutthehornstheyblowin’thatDmsound
BbWayCondownsouth
BbWayCondownsouthLondontown
CheckoutDmguitargeorge,CheknowsBballtheDmchordsA7
DmMindhe’sstrictlyrhythm
Hedoesn’tCwanttomakethemBbcryorAsingA7A
FTheysaidanoldguitarisCallhecanafford
BbWhenhegetsupunderthelightstoplayhisDmthingBbC
AndDmHarrydoesn’tCmind,ifBbhedoesn’tAmakethesceneA7A
DmHe’sgotaCdaytimeBbjob,he’sdoing AalrightA7A
FHecanplaythehonkytonklike Canything
BbSavin’itup,forFridayDmnight
BbWithCtheSultans
BbWe’reCtheSultansofSwing
DmThenacrowdayoungboysthey’reaCfoolin’ BbaroundintheAcornerA7A
DmDrunkanddressedintheirbestbrownCbaggies
AndtheirBbplatformDmsolesA7A
FTheydon’tgiveadamnaboutanyCtrumpetplayin’band
BbItain’twhattheycallrockandDmroll
BbThenCtheSultans,BbYeahCtheSultanstheyplaycreole,creole
DmAndthenthemanheCstepsrightBbuptotheAmicrophone
DmAndsaysatClastjustastheBbtimebellAringsA7A
FGoodnight,nowit’sCtimetogohome
BbAndhemakesitfastwithoneDmmorething
BbWeCaretheSultans
BbWeCaretheSultansofDmSwing
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.
ArtistDire Straits
AlbumSingle
GenresRock
Year1977
KeyDm
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Sultans of Swing on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing on guitar requires 6 chords and 10 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.

Sultans of Swing uses these transitions most often: C → Bb (21), Dm → C (12), and Bb → C (10). 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 - C chord transition.

1. Dm → C chord transition

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

To move from Dm to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

Dm to C

2. C → Bb chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to Bb:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger on D string from fret 2 to fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A 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 21 times.

C to Bb

3. Bb → A chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

To move 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 9 times.

Bb to A

4. A → A7 chord transition

Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

Switching from A to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

A to A7

5. A → Dm chord transition

Switching from A to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

6. Dm → A7 chord transition

To move 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 3 times.

7. A → F chord transition

Here's how to move from A to F:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

8. F → C chord transition

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

9. Bb → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from Bb to Dm:

  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 E string fret 1.
  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 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

10. A7 → F chord transition

To move from A7 to F:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

Sultans of Swing chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sultans of Swing.

  • Sultans of Swing includes 110 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Sultans of Swing contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Sultans of Swing 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 → Dm: 5%
    • C → Bb: 2%
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → C: 20%
    • Bb → Dm: 9%
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.