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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.

Joan Baez - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, C, F, D, D7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

AmVirgilCCaineismynameand
IFdroveontheDanvilleAmTrain
‘TilCsomuchAmcavalrycameand
Ftoreupthetracks Amagain
FInthewinterofC’65,
WewereAmhungry,justFbarelyalive
AmItookthetraintoFRichmondmyself
ItwasaCtimeI AmrememberohsoDwellD7
TheCnighttheyFdroveoldDixieCdown
AndalltheAmbellswereringin’
TheCnighttheyFdroveoldDixieCdown
AndalltheAmpeopleweresingin’
TheywentCnananaAmnananana
DnananananaFnananananaAm
AmBackwithmywifeinCTennessee
WhenFonedayshesaidtoAmme
C“Virgil,Amquickcomesee
FTheregoestheRobertE.AmLee!”
NowFIdon’tmindCchoppin’wood,and
IAmdon’tcareiftheFmoney’snogood
YouAmtakewhatyouneedandyouFleavetherest
ButtheyshouldCneverhaveAmtakentheveryDbestD7
TheCnighttheyFdroveoldDixieCdown
AndalltheAmbellswereringin’
TheCnighttheyFdroveoldDixieCdown
AndalltheAmpeopleweresingin’
TheywentCnananaAmnananana
DnananananaFnananananaAm
AmLikemyfather CbeforemeFI’maworkingAmman
CAndlikemybrother AmbeforemeFItookarebelAmstand
HewasFjusteighteen,Cproudandbrave
ButaAmYankeelaidhimFinhisgrave
IAmswearbytheblood Fbelowmyfeet
Youcan’tCraiseaCainebackAmupwhenhe’sin DdefeatD7
TheCnighttheyFdroveoldDixieCdown
AndalltheAmbellswereringin’
TheCnighttheyFdroveoldDixieCdown
AndalltheAmpeopleweresingin’
TheywentCnananaAmnananana
DnananananaFnananananaAm
TheCnighttheyFdroveoldDixieCdown,whenalltheAmbellswereringin’
TheCnighttheyFdroveoldDixieCdownandalltheAmpeopleweresingin’
TheywentCnananaAmnanananaDnananananaFnananananaAm
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.
ArtistJoan Baez
AlbumJoan Baez: How Sweet the Sound
GenresFolk, Folk Rock, Rock
Year1971
KeyAm
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Joan Baez - The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down 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.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down uses these transitions most often: C → Am (21), Am → C (15), and F → C (14). 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 Am - C chord transition.

1. Am → C chord transition

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

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 15 times.

Am to C

2. C → F chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 11 times.

C to F

3. F → Am chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

To move from F to Am:

  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. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 13 times.

F to Am

4. Am → D chord transition

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

Switching from Am 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 G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

Am to D

5. D → D7 chord transition

Switching from D to D7:

  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 G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

6. D7 → C chord transition

To move from D7 to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

7. D → F chord transition

Here's how to move from D to F:

  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. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down.

  • The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down includes 103 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → C: 16%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → F: 16%
    • C → Am: 10%
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.