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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.

Ron Hynes - The St. John’s Waltz Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, F, Em, Am7, D, G, G7, Am, D7, E7, A7
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 F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar Am7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-1-0Guitar Am7 chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar G7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-1Guitar G7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar D7 chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-1-2Guitar D7 chord diagram
  • Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram
  • Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

[Opening]
Oh the [C]harbour [C]lights are [C]gleaming, and the [F]evening’s still and [C]dark
And the [C]seagulls [Em]are all [Am7]dreaming seagull [D]dreams on Amherst [G]rock
And the [C]mist is [G7]slowly [C]drifting
as the [F]storefront lights go [Am]dim
And the [C]moon is [Em]gently [Am7]lifting
As the [D]last ship’s coming [G]in all the [F]sailors got a [G]story ,
Some are [Am7]true [C]some are [F]false [Am7]
But they’re [D7]always [G]wrecked and they’re [E7]up on the [A7]deck
[D]Dancing the [G]St. John’s [C]Waltz

[verse 2]
Oh we’ve [C]had our [C]share of [C]history,
We’ve seen [F]nations come and [C]go
We’ve seen [Em]battles rage over [Am7]land and stage
Two [D]hundred years and [G]more
For [C]glory or [G7]for [C]freedom,
For [F]country or for [Am]king,
Or for [C]money or [Em]fame but there [Am7]are no names
On the [D]graves where men lie [G]sleeping;
All the [F]nine-to-fives survive the [G]day with a [Am7]sigh and a [C]dose of [F]salts
And [Am7]they’re [D7]parking their [G]cars
And [E7]packin’ the [A7]bars, [D]Dancing the [G]St. John’s [C]Waltz

[Closing]
[F] [D7] [G] [E7] [A7] [D] [G] [C]
Oh my [C]heart is [C]on the [C]highway and I’m [F]sold on going to [C]sea
All the [Em]planes fill the [Am7]skyway and the [D]trains run swift and [G]free;
So leave the [C]wayward [G7]free to [C]wander, leave the [F]restless free to [Am]roam
If its [C]rocks in the [Em]bay, it’s an [Am7]old cliché, you’ll [D]find your way back [G]home
So don’t [F]question or [G]inquire, what’s been [Am7]gained, what’s [C]been [F]lost,
In a [Am7]world of [D7]romance, [G]don’t miss [E7]out on the [A7]chance
To be [D]Dancing the [G]St. John’s [C]Waltz
[F] [D7] [G] [E7] [A7] [D] [G] [C]

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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.
ArtistRon Hynes
AlbumFace To The Gale
GenresCountry, Folk
Year1997
KeyF

How to play The St. John's Waltz on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Ron Hynes - The St. John's Waltz on guitar requires 11 chords and 19 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 St. John's Waltz uses these transitions most often: C → F (11), D → G (11), and G → C (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 - F chord transition.

1. 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

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.
C to F

2. 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

3. Em → Am7 chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar Am7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-1-0Guitar Am7 chord diagram

To move from Em to Am7;

  1. While playing Em, lift your ring finger from D string fret 2.
  2. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Place index finger on B string fret 1.
Em to Am7

4. Am7 → D chord transition

Guitar Am7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-1-0Guitar Am7 chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from Am7 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. Place ring finger on B string fret 3.
Am7 to D

5. D → G chord transition

To move from D to G;

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

6. G → C chord transition

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.

7. C → G7 chord transition

To move from C to G7;

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

8. F → Am chord transition

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.

9. 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.

10. G → F chord transition

To move from G to F;

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

11. G → Am7 chord transition

To move from G to Am7;

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

12. Am7 → C chord transition

To move from Am7 to C;

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on D string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

13. F → Am7 chord transition

To move from F to Am7;

  1. While playing F, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
  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.

14. Am7 → D7 chord transition

To move from Am7 to D7;

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

15. D7 → G chord transition

To move from D7 to G;

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

16. G → E7 chord transition

To move from G to E7;

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

17. E7 → A7 chord transition

To move from E7 to A7;

  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 B string fret 2.

18. A7 → D chord transition

To move from A7 to D;

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

19. F → D7 chord transition

To move from F to D7;

  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. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to E string fret 2.

The St. John's Waltz chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in The St. John's Waltz.

  • The St. John's Waltz includes 103 chord transitions, 19 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • The St. John's Waltz contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how The St. John's Waltz 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 → F: 16%
    • C → Em: 8%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → F: 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.