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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.

Shawn Mendes - Three Empty Words Chords

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

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

GDEmBmC
GI’llpickyouDupatthesameEmtime
InthesameBmplaces,thesameoldCdrive
GWe’lljustDtalkaboutourEmday
TotrytoBmfilltheawkwardCspacetonight
GWe’llplaytheDsongsweusedtoEmlove
WhileweBmtrytofallinCloveagain
GWedon’tDknowwho’swrongorEmright
Wedon’tBmevencareCenoughtofight
We’regoingthroughtheGmotionsDEm
‘CauseEmwecan’tDfixwhat’sGbrokenDEmG
AndIDknowit’sgonnaEmhurt,butCdarlingI’llgoGfirst
‘CauseEmIwon’tkeeponBsayingthoseCthreeemptyGwords
NoIEmwon’tkeeponBsayingthoseCthreeemptyGwords
GDEmBmC
GWe’restillDtalkingEmeveryday
I’mrunningBmoutofthingstoCsaytoCya
GWhat’sreallyDgonnabreakmyEmheart
TohavetoBmtellyourlittleCbrother
GItmightbeDeasiertoEmstay
Butit’llCneverbetheCsame,CnoohhCno
GAndifDsomethingdoesn’tEmchange
Thenwe’llBmkeeponsinkingCfurther
We’regoingthroughtheGmotionsDEm
‘CauseEmwecan’tDfixwhat’sGbrokenDEmG
AndIDknowit’sgonnaEmhurt,butCdarlingI’llgoGfirst
‘CauseEmIwon’tkeeponBsayingthoseCthreeemptyGwords
ThoseGthreeemptyBwords,willEmonlymakeitGworse
I’mCtired,Ican’tGtakeDanymore,thoseGthreeemptyBwords
WillEmonlymakeitGworse,I’mCtired,Ican’tGtakeDanymore
We’regoingthroughtheGmotionsDEm
‘CauseEmwecan’tDfixwhat’sGbrokenDEmG
AndIDknowit’sgonnaEmhurt,butCdarlingI’llgoGfirst
‘CauseEmIwon’tkeeponBsayingthoseCthreeemptyGwords
Wedon’t EmhavetokeeponBsayingthoseCthreeemptyGwords
NoIEmwon’tkeeponBsayingthoseCthreeemptyGwords
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.
ArtistShawn Mendes
AlbumIlluminate
GenresPop
Year2016
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Three Empty Words on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Shawn Mendes - Three Empty Words on guitar requires 6 chords and 10 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.

Three Empty Words uses these transitions most often: C → G (21), G → D (21), and D → Em (19). 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 G - D chord transition.

1. G → D chord transition

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

Switching 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 21 times.

G to D

2. D → Em chord transition

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

Here's how to move from D to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 19 times.

D to Em

3. Em → Bm chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram

To move from Em to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

Em to Bm

4. Bm → C chord transition

Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Switching from Bm to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

Bm to C

5. C → G chord transition

To move from C 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 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 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 21 times.

6. Em → G chord transition

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 5 times.

7. Em → C chord transition

Switching from Em to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

8. Em → B chord transition

To move from Em to B:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

9. B → C chord transition

Switching from B to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

10. G → B chord transition

Here's how to move from G to B:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

Three Empty Words chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Three Empty Words.

  • Three Empty Words includes 120 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Three Empty Words contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Three Empty Words connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → D: 24%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 26%
    • Em → G: 18%
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.