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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.

Pete Seeger - We Shall Overcome Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsA, D, E, F#m, B7, E7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

AWeshallDoverAcome
AWeshallDoverAcome
AWeshallDoverF#mcomeB7someEdayE7
OhAdeepDinmyAheart(Iknowthat)
DIEdobeF#mlieve
AWeshallDoverAcomeEsomeAdayDE7
AWe’llwalkDhandinAhand
AWe’llwalkDhandinAhand
AWe’llwalkDhandEinF#mhandB7someEdayE7
OhAdeepDinmyAheart(Iknowthat)
DIEdo F#mbelieve
AWe’llwalkDHandinAhandEsomeAdayDE7
AWeshallDallbeAfree
AWeshallDallbeAfree
AWeshallDallEbeF#mfreeB7someEdayE7
OhAdeepDinmyAheart(Iknowthat)
DIEdobeF#mlieve
AWeshallDallbeAfreeEsomeAdayDE7
AWeareDnotaAlone
AWeareDnotaAlone
AWeareDnotEaF#mloneB7toEdayE7
OhAdeepDinmyAheart(Iknowthat)
DIEdo F#mbelieve
AWeareDnotaAloneEtoAdayDE7
AWeareDnotaAfraid
AWeareDnotaAfraid
AWeareDnotEafraidB7anyEmoreE7
OhAdeepDinourAhearts(weknowthat)
DweEdobeF#mlieve
AweareDnot AafraidEanyAmoreDE7
AWeshallDoverAcome
AWeshallDoverAcome
AWeshallDoverF#mcomeB7someEdayE7
OhAdeepDinmyAheart(Iknowthat)
DIEdo F#mbelieve
AWeshallDoverAcomeEsomeAdayD
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.
ArtistPete Seeger
AlbumSingle
GenresVocal
Year1949
KeyA
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play We Shall Overcome on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Pete Seeger - We Shall Overcome 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.

We Shall Overcome uses these transitions most often: A → D (42), D → A (24), and D → E (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 A - D chord transition.

1. 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

Switching 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 42 times.

A to D

2. D → E chord transition

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

Here's how to move from D to E:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

D to E

3. E → F#m chord transition

Guitar E chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-1-0-0Guitar E chord diagram
Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram

Switching from E to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 12 times.

E to F#m

4. F#m → B7 chord transition

Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from F#m to B7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

F#m to B7

5. B7 → E chord transition

Switching from B7 to E:

  1. While playing B7, lift your pinky from E string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from D string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

6. E → E7 chord transition

Switching from E to E7:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

7. E7 → A chord transition

To move 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 chorus, played 11 times.

8. F#m → A chord transition

To move from F#m to A:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

9. A → E chord transition

Here's how to move from A to E:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

10. D → E7 chord transition

To move 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 chorus, played 5 times.

We Shall Overcome chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in We Shall Overcome.

  • We Shall Overcome includes 142 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • We Shall Overcome contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how We Shall Overcome connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (29%), G (13%), and E (12%).
    • A → D: 29%
    • A → E: 12%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → A: 17%
    • D → E: 3%
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.