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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.

Radiohead - The Numbers Chords

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

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

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
  • Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am]Holds us [Em]like a [D]phantom [A]
[Am]The touch is [Em]like a [D]breeze [A]
[Am]It shines its [Em] [D]understanding [A]
[Am]See the [Em]moon [D]smiling [A]

[verse 2]
[Am] [Em] [D] [A]
[Am]Open [Em]on all [D]channels [A]
[Am]Ready [Em]to [D]receive [A]
[Am]And we’re not [Em]at the [D]mercy [A]
[Am]Of your [Em]shimmerers or [D]spells [A]
[Am]Your [Em]shimmerers or [D]spells [A]

[verse 3]
[Am] [Em] [D] [A] [Am] [Em] [D] [A]
[Am]We are [Em]of the [D]earth [A]
[Am]To her [Em]we do [D]return [A]
[Am]The future [Em]is [D]inside [A]us
[Am]It’s [Em]not somewhere [D]else [A]
[Am]It’s [Em]not somewhere [D]else [A]
[Am]It’s [Em]not somewhere [G] [D]else[Am] [Em] [D] [A]
(One day at a time)

[chorus]
[Am] [Em] [D] [A] [G] [D] [F]
One day at a time

[verse 4]
[C] [D] [F] [E] [G] [D]
[Am]We call [Em]upon the [D]people [A]
[Am]People [Em]have this [D]power [A]
[Am]The numbers [Em]don’t [D]decide [A]
[Am]Your system [Em]is a [D]lie [A]
[Am]The river [Em]running [D]dry [A]
[Am]The wings [Em]of a [D] [A]butterfly

[Closing]
[Am] [Em] [D] [A]
[Am]And you may [Em]pour us [D]away like soup [A]
[Am]Like we’re [Em]pretty [D]broken flowers [A]
[Am]We’ll take [Em]back what is [D]ours [A]
[Am]Take [Em]back what is [G]ours [D]

[chorus]
[C] [D] [F] [E] [G] [D] [F]
One day at a time

[outro]
[E] [A]

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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.
ArtistRadiohead
AlbumA Moon Shaped Pool
GenresAlternative, Indie, Rock
Year2016
KeyAm

How to play The Numbers on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Radiohead - The Numbers 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 Numbers uses these transitions most often: Am → Em (31), D → A (29), and Em → D (29). 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 - Em chord transition.

1. Am → Em chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from Am to Em;

  1. While playing Am, 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 G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
Am to Em

2. Em → D chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from Em to D;

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

3. D → A chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

To move from D to A;

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

4. A → Am chord transition

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

To move from A to Am;

  1. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 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 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
A to Am

5. Em → G chord transition

To move from Em to G;

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

6. G → D chord transition

To move from G to D;

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

7. 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.

8. A → G chord transition

To move from A to G;

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

9. D → F chord transition

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.

10. F → C chord transition

To move 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.

11. C → D chord transition

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.

12. F → E chord transition

To move from F to E;

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

13. E → G chord transition

To move from E to G;

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

14. E → A chord transition

To move from E to A;

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

The Numbers chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in The Numbers.

  • The Numbers includes 141 chord transitions, 14 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • The Numbers contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how The Numbers connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → A: 17%
    • D → C: 14%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → Em: 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.