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Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, F#m, G, Em7, F#7, Bm, Bb, A7, Gmaj7, F#, B7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D 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
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Em7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-0-0-0Guitar Em7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F#7 | G♭7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-2-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F#7 | G♭7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Bm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-3-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar Bm chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram
  • Guitar Gmaj7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-2Guitar Gmaj7 chord diagram
  • Guitar F# | G♭ chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-4-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar F# | G♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar B7 chord diagram Fingering: x-2-1-2-0-2Guitar B7 chord diagram

[Opening]
I see [D]trees of [F#m]green, [G]red roses [F#m]too
[Em7]I see them [D]bloom, for [F#7]me and [Bm]you,
And I [Bb]think to myself, [A7]
[A7]What a wonderful [D]world. [D] [Gmaj7] [A7]

[verse 2]
I see [D]skies of [F#m]blue and [G]clouds of [F#m]white,
[Em7]The bright blessed [D]day, the [F#7]dark sacred [Bm]night,
And I [Bb]think to my[A7]self,
what a [A7]wonderful [D]world [G] [D]

[verse 3]
The [A7]colors of the rainbow, so [D]pretty in the sky
Are [A7]also on the faces of [D]people goin’ by
I see [Bm]friends shaking [F#m]hands, saying, “[Bm]How do you [F#m]do?”
[Em7]They’re really [F#]saying,” [Em7]I love [A7]you.”

[verse 4]
I hear [D]babies [F#m]cry,I [G]watch them [F#m]grow
[Em7]They’ll learn much [D]more [F#7]than I’ll ever [Bm]know,
And I [Bb]think to myself
[A7]what a [A7]wonderful [D]world [D] [B7]

[Closing]
Yes I [Em7]think to myself,
[A7]what a [Em7]wonderful [D]world. [Em7] [D]

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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.
ArtistLouis Armstrong
AlbumWhat a Wonderful World
GenresJazz
Year1967
KeyD

How to play What a Wonderful World on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Louis Armstrong - What a Wonderful World on guitar requires 11 chords and 18 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.

What a Wonderful World uses these transitions most often: A7 → D (7), Em7 → D (5), and F#m → Em7 (4). 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 - F#m chord transition.

1. D → F#m chord transition

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

To move from D to F#m;

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

2. F#m → G 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 G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from F#m to G;

  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 A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 4 to E string fret 3.
  4. Place middle finger on E string fret 3.
F#m to G

4. Em7 → D chord transition

Guitar Em7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-0-0-0-0Guitar Em7 chord diagram
Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

To move from Em7 to D;

  1. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on B string fret 3.
Em7 to D

5. D → F#7 chord transition

To move from D to F#7;

  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 G string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 4.

6. F#7 → Bm chord transition

To move from F#7 to Bm;

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

7. Bm → Bb chord transition

To move from Bm to Bb;

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

8. Bb → A7 chord transition

To move from Bb to A7;

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

9. 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.

10. D → Gmaj7 chord transition

To move from D to Gmaj7;

  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 A string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

11. Gmaj7 → A7 chord transition

To move from Gmaj7 to A7;

  1. While playing Gmaj7, lift your ring finger from E string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to B string fret 2.

12. 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.

13. D → Bm chord transition

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.

14. 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.

15. Em7 → F# chord transition

To move from Em7 to F#;

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

16. Em7 → A7 chord transition

To move from Em7 to A7;

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

17. D → B7 chord transition

To move from D to B7;

  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 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 2.

18. B7 → Em7 chord transition

To move from B7 to Em7;

  1. While playing B7, first lift your index finger, ring finger, and pinky.
  2. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.

What a Wonderful World chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in What a Wonderful World.

  • What a Wonderful World includes 55 chord transitions, 18 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • What a Wonderful World contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how What a Wonderful 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 A7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (42%), D7 (18%), and Dm (12%).
    • A7 → D: 42%
    • A7 → Em7: 1%
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.