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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.

USA for Africa - We Are the World Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, G, A, Bm, F#m, Em, Bb, C, Ab, Eb, Cm, Gm, Fm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

DTherecomesatimewhenweGhearaAcertainDcall
‘CausetheGworlditAseemsit’srightinthisDline
‘Causethere’saBmchancefortakinginF#mneedingourownBmlives
ItEmseemsweGneednothingatAall
DIusedtofeelIGshouldgive AawaymyDheart
AnditGshowsthatAfearofneedingDthem
ThenIBmreadtheheadlinesanditF#msaidthey’redyingthere
AnditEmshowsthatGwemustheed Ainstead
WearetheGworldAWearetheDchildren
WearetheGoneswhomakeabrighterAdaysolet’sstartDgiving
There’saBmchancewe’retakingwe’reF#mtakingourownlives
It’sEmtruewe’llmakeabrighterAdayjustyouandDme
DGiveinyourheartandyouwillGseethatAsomeoneDcares
‘CauseyouGknowthatAtheycanfeedthemDall
ThenIBmreadthepaperanditF#msaidthatyou’vebeendenied
AnditEmshowstheGsecondwewillAcall
WearetheGworldAWearetheDchildren
WearetheGoneswhomakeabrighterAdaysolet’sstartDgiving
There’saBmchancewe’retakingwe’reF#mtakingourownlives
It’sEmtruewe’llmakeabrighterAdayjustyouandDme
NowBbthere’satimewhenCwemustlovethemDall
AnditBbseemsthatlife,itCdon’tmakeloveatDall
ButifBmyou’dbeenthere,andI’llF#mloveyoumoreandmore
ItEmseemsinAlife,Ididn’tdoDthat
WearetheGworldAWearetheDchildren
WearetheGoneswhomakeabrighterAdaysolet’sstartDgiving
There’saBmchancewe’retakingwe’reF#mtakingourownlives
It’sEmtruewe’llmakeabrighterAdayjustyouandDme
WearetheGworldAWearetheDchildren
WearetheGoneswhomakeabrighterAdaysolet’sstartDgiving
There’saBmchancewe’retakingwe’reF#mtakingourownlives
It’sEmtruewe’llmakeabrighterAdayjustyouandDme
WearetheAbworldBb(Shalom)WearetheEbchildren(Shalingin)
WearetheAboneswhomakeabrighterBbday(Shalom)solet’sstartEbgiving
There’saCmchancewe’retakingwe’reGmtakingourownlives
It’sFmtruewe’llmakeabrighterBbdayjustyouandEbme
Comeon,yeah
WearetheAbworldBb(Shalom)WearetheEbchildren(Shalingin)
WearetheAboneswhomakeabrighterBbday(Shalom)solet’sstartEbgiving
There’saCmchancewe’retakingwe’reGmtakingourownlives
It’sFmtruewe’llmakeabrighterBbdayjustyouandEbme
Ohyeah,wegotit
WearetheAbworldBb(Shalom)WearetheEbchildren(Shalingin)
WearetheAboneswhomakeabrighterBbday(Shalom)solet’sstartEbgiving
There’saCmchancewe’retakingwe’reGmtakingourownlives
It’sFmtruewe’llmakeabrighterBbdayjustyouandEbme
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.
ArtistUSA for Africa
AlbumWe Are the World
GenresPop
Year1985
KeyD
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play We Are the World on Guitar (Step-by-step)

USA for Africa - We Are the World on guitar requires 13 chords and 20 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.

We Are the World uses these transitions most often: A → D (20), G → A (17), and D → G (12). 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 - G chord transition.

1. D → G chord transition

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

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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

D to G

2. G → A chord transition

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

To move from G to A:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 17 times.

G to A

3. 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

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 20 times.

A to D

4. D → Bm chord transition

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

Here's how to move 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, played 8 times.

D to Bm

5. Bm → F#m chord transition

To move from Bm to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

6. Bm → Em chord transition

Here's how to move from Bm to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

7. 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 verse, played 3 times.

8. F#m → Em chord transition

Here's how to move from F#m to Em:

  1. While playing F#m, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 4 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

9. Em → A chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to A:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 5 times.

10. D → Bb chord transition

To move from D to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

11. Bb → C chord transition

Here's how to move from Bb to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

12. C → D chord transition

Here's how 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.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

13. D → Ab chord transition

Here's how to move from D to Ab:

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

This transition appears in the chorus.

14. Ab → Bb chord transition

To move from Ab to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

15. Bb → Eb chord transition

Switching from Bb to Eb:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 9 times.

16. Eb → Ab chord transition

To move from Eb to Ab:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 5 times.

17. Eb → Cm chord transition

Switching from Eb to Cm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

18. Cm → Gm chord transition

Here's how to move from Cm to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

19. Gm → Fm chord transition

Here's how to move from Gm to Fm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

20. Fm → Bb chord transition

Switching from Fm to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

We Are the World chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in We Are the World.

  • We Are the World includes 123 chord transitions, 20 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • We Are the World contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how We Are the World 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 → Bm: 5%
    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.