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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.

ABBA - Waterloo Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, E7, A, G, Bm, A7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

DMy,my,atE7Waterloo ANapoleonGdid Asurrender
OhDyeah,andE7IhavemetmyAdestiny
InDquiteaAsimilarBmway
TheBmhistorybookontheshelf
IsE7alwaysrepeating AitselfGDA7
DWaterloo,Iwasdefeated,youGwonthewar
AWaterloo,PromisetoloveyouforDevermoreA
DWaterloo,Couldn’tescapeifIGwantedto
AWaterloo,KnowingmyfateistoDbewithyou,
DWo,wo,wo,wo
AWaterloo,FinallyfacingmyDWaterloo
DMy,my,IE7triedtoholdyouAbackbut
GYouwereAstronger
OhDyeah,andE7nowitseemsmyAonlyGchanceis
DGivingAuptheBmfight
AndBmhowcouldIeverrefuse
IE7feellikeIwinwhenIAloseGDA7
DWaterloo,Iwasdefeated,youGwonthewar
AWaterloo,PromisetoloveyouforDevermoreA
DWaterloo,Couldn’tescapeifIGwantedto
AWaterloo,KnowingmyfateistoDbewithyou,
DWo,wo,wo,wo
AWaterloo,FinallyfacingmyDWaterloo
AndBmhowcouldIeverrefuse
IE7feellikeIwinwhenIAloseGDA7
DWaterloo,Iwasdefeated,youGwonthewar
AWaterloo,PromisetoloveyouforDevermoreA
DWaterloo,Couldn’tescapeifIGwantedto
AWaterloo,KnowingmyfateistoDbewithyou,
DWo,wo,wo,wo
AWaterloo,FinallyfacingmyDWaterloo
AWaterloo,FinallyfacingmyDWaterloo
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.
ArtistABBA
AlbumWaterloo
GenresEuropop, Pop
Year1973
KeyD
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Waterloo on Guitar (Step-by-step)

ABBA - Waterloo on guitar requires 6 chords and 9 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.

Waterloo uses these transitions most often: A → D (15), D → A (9), and G → A (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 D - E7 chord transition.

1. D → E7 chord transition

Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram

Switching from D to E7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

D to E7

2. E7 → A chord transition

Guitar E7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-1-0-0Guitar E7 chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

Switching from E7 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. Place ring finger on B string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

E7 to A

3. A → G chord transition

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

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

A to G

4. A → D chord transition

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

Here's how to move from A 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 G string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 15 times.

A to D

5. G → D chord transition

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

6. A → Bm chord transition

Switching from A to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

7. Bm → E7 chord transition

To move from Bm to E7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

8. D → A7 chord transition

To move from D to A7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

9. D → Bm chord transition

Switching from D to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

Waterloo chord transition analysis

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

  • Waterloo includes 73 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Waterloo contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Waterloo 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 → G: 29%
    • D → A: 17%
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → D: 29%
    • A → G: 13%
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.