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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.

Maroon 5 - The Air That I Breathe 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, D, Dm, G#
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 D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar G# | A♭ chord diagram Fingering: 4-3-1-1-1-x Barre at fret 1.Guitar G# | A♭ chord diagram

[Opening]
[C]People never change, [Em]they seem to stay the same.
[F]They wear different clothes, [G]but play the same games.
[C]Many different ways, [Em]to say the same thing.
[F]Searching for the right words, [G]the ones that would make you stay.

[chorus]
[Am]Exchanging the [C]way things were, for the [F]way that they should [D]be, yeah.
And [Am]choosing these words, is [C]saying to her,
The [G]things that she never heard, but [G]always deserved.

[chorus]
I [C]figured what it is all about, it’s [Em]you that I could never live without.
You’re [F]everything, the [D]air that I breathe.
[C]Stupid not to know it all along, and [Em]everything I ever did was wrong.
[F]Sadly it’s too late for [D]sorry.

[verse 2]
[C]Oh I’m not even really sure, [Em]who made this mess,
And [F]who threw what punch, but I [G]could not care less.
[C]All I know is that I’m here, [Em]and you are not, Ohhh.
[F]Once I put this wasted pride aside, [G]nothin’s all I got, Ohhh.

[chorus]
[Am]Exchanging the [C]way things were, for the [F]way that they should [D]be, yeah.
And [Am]choosing these words, is [C]saying to her,
The [G]things that she never heard, but [G]always deserved.

[chorus]
I [C]figured what it is all about, it’s [Em]you that I could never live without.
You’re [F]everything, the [D]air that I breathe.
[C]Stupid not to know it all along, and [Em]everything I ever did was wrong.
[F]Sadly it’s too late for [D]sorry.

[Closing]
[Dm]Ohh, somebody [Am]make it stop, yeah,
[Dm]And pick me up, and just [Am]dust me off, Ohh.
The [Dm]rainy day flood, [Am]drowned all this love.
[G#]Trapped at the bottom now, [G]please dig me up.

[chorus]
I [C]figured what it is all about, it’s [Em]you that I could never live without.
You’re [F]everything, the [D]air that I breathe.
[C]Stupid not to know it all along, and [Em]everything I ever did was wrong.
[F]Sadly it’s too late for [D]sorry.

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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.
ArtistMaroon 5
AlbumHands All Over
GenresPop, Pop Rock, Rock
Year2010
KeyC

How to play The Air That I Breathe on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Maroon 5 - The Air That I Breathe on guitar requires 8 chords and 14 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.

The Air That I Breathe uses these transitions most often: C → Em (10), Em → F (10), and F → D (8). 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 → G chord transition

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

To move from F to G;

  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 A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  4. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
F to G

4. G → C chord transition

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

To move from G to C;

  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 A string fret 3.
G to C

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 → C chord transition

To move from Am to C;

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

7. C → F chord transition

To move from C 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. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

8. F → D chord transition

To move from F to D;

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

9. D → Am chord transition

To move from D to Am;

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

10. D → C chord transition

To move from D to C;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E 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.

11. D → Dm chord transition

To move from D to Dm;

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

12. Dm → Am chord transition

To move from Dm to Am;

  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 G string fret 2.

13. Am → G# chord transition

To move from Am to G#;

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

14. G# → G chord transition

To move from G# to G;

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

The Air That I Breathe chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in The Air That I Breathe.

  • The Air That I Breathe includes 61 chord transitions, 14 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • The Air That I Breathe contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how The Air That I Breathe 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 → G: 21%
    • F → D: 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.