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Taylor Swift - Better Man Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsE, B, A, C#m
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 G,D,A keys to play this song with easier chords.

EIknowI’mprobablybetteroffBonmyown,thanAlovingamanwhodidn’tknow
WhatheAhadwhenhehadit,andEIseethepermanentdamageyouBdidtome
Neveragain,IjustAwishIcouldforgetwhenitwasmagic
EIwishitwasn’t4am,standinginthemirror
BSayingtomyself,youknowyouhadtodoit
AIknowthebravestthingIeverdidwasBrun
ESometimes,inthemiddleofthenight,IcanBfeelyouagain
ButIjustC#mmissyou,andIjustwishyouwereaAbetterman
AndIEknowwhywehadtosaygoodbye,liketheBbackofmyhand
AndIjustC#mmissyou,andIjustwishyouwereaAbetterman
AAbetterman
EIknowI’mprobablybetteroffBallalone,
ThanneedingamanwhocouldAchangehismind
AtAanygivenminute,andit’salwaysonyourEterms
I’mhangingoneveryBcarelessword,hopingitmightturnAsweetagain
ALikeitwasinthebeginning,butyourEjealousy,Icanhearitnow
You’retalkingBdowntomelikeI’llalwaysbearound
YoupushmyAloveawaylikeit’ssomekindofloadedgun
Boy,youBneverthoughtI’drun
ESometimes,inthemiddleofthenight,IcanBfeelyouagain
ButIjustC#mmissyou,andIjustwishyouwereaAbetterman
AndIEknowwhywehadtosaygoodbye,liketheBbackofmyhand
AndIjustC#mmissyou,andIjustwishyouwereaAbetterman
AAbettermanEBEBA
IAholdontothispridebecausetheseBdaysit’sallIhave
AndIC#mgaveyoumybestandwebothknowyouBcan’tsayC#mthat
C#mYoucan’tsaythat,no,Ayoucan’tsaythat,IwishyouwereaEbetterman
IwonderBwhatwewould’vebecome,ifyouwereaC#mbetterman
WeAmightstillbeinlove,ifyouwereaEbetterman
YouBwould’vebeentheone,ifyouwereaC#mbetterman.AYeah,yeah
ESometimes,inthemiddleofthenight,IcanBfeelyouagain
ButIjustC#mmissyou,andIjustwishyouwereaAbetterman
AndIEknowwhywehadtosaygoodbye,liketheBbackofmyhand
AndIjustC#mmissyou,andIjustwishyouwereaAbetterman
IfyouwereaEbetterman,weBmightstillbeinlove
IfyouwereaC#mbetterman,youAwould’vebeentheBone
IfyouwereaEbetterman
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.
ArtistTaylor Swift
AlbumRed (Taylor's Version)
GenresCountry, Country Rock, Rock
Year2021
KeyE
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Better Man on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Taylor Swift - Better Man on guitar requires 4 chords and 5 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.

Better Man uses these transitions most often: E → B (17), A → E (13), and B → C#m (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 E - B chord transition.

1. E → B chord transition

Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram
Guitar B chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar B chord diagram

Switching from E to B:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 17 times.

E to B

2. B → A chord transition

Guitar B chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar B chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

To move from B to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

B to A

3. A → E chord transition

Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram

To move from A to E:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

A to E

4. B → C#m chord transition

Guitar B chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar B chord diagram
Guitar C#m | D♭m chord diagram Fingering: x-4-2-1-2-xGuitar C#m | D♭m chord diagram

To move from B to C#m:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 11 times.

B to C#m

5. C#m → A chord transition

Here's how to move from C#m to A:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 10 times.

Better Man chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Better Man.

  • Better Man includes 67 chord transitions, 5 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Better Man contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Better Man connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → E: 12%
    • A → B: 4%
    After B, the most likely next chords across Chordier are E (21%), Em (16%), and A (16%).
    • B → E: 21%
    • B → A: 16%
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.