Skip to song content

Sam Cooke - Wonderful World Chords

ChordsA, F#m, D, E7, B7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

ADon’tknowmuchaboutF#mhistory
DDon’tknowmuchE7biology
ADon’tknowmuchaboutaF#msciencebook
DDon’tknowmuchabouttheE7FrenchItook
AButIdoknowthatDIloveyou
AAndIknowthatifyouDlovemetoo
WhataE7wonderfulworldthiscouldAbe
ADon’tknowmuchabout F#mgeography
DDon’tknowmuch E7trigonometry
ADon’tknowmuchaboutF#malgebra
DDon’tknowwhataslideE7ruleisfor
AButIdoknowoneandDoneistwo
AAndifthisonecouldDbewithyou
WhataE7wonderfulworldthiscouldAbe
NowE7Idon’tclaim…toAbean‘A’student
E7ButI’mtryin’toAbe
ForB7maybebybeingan‘A’studentbaby
IcouldwinyourE7loveforme…
ADon’tknowmuchabouttheF#mmiddleages
DLookedatthepicturesandIE7turnedthepages
ADon’tknownothin’‘boutnoF#mriseandfall
DDon’tknownothin’‘boutE7nothin’atall
AButIdoknowthatDIloveyou
AAndIknowthatifyouDlovedmetoo
WhataE7wonderfulworldthiscouldAbe
ADon’tknowmuchaboutF#mhistory
DDon’tknowmuchE7biology
ADon’tknowmuchaboutaF#msciencebook
DDon’tknowmuchabouttheE7FrenchItook
AButIdoknowthatDIloveyou
AAndIknowthatifyouDlovemetoo
WhataE7wonderfulworldthiscouldAbe
ArtistSam Cooke
AlbumThe Wonderful World of Sam Cooke
GenresBlues, Soul
Year1960
KeyA
DifficultyIntermediate

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

Sam Cooke - Wonderful World on guitar requires 5 chords and 7 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.

Wonderful World uses these transitions most often: E7 → A (15), D → E7 (12), and A → D (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 A - F#m chord transition.

1. A → F#m chord transition

Switching from A to F#m:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

A to F#m

2. F#m → D chord transition

Switching from F#m to D:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

F#m to D

3. D → E7 chord transition

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 12 times.

D to E7

4. E7 → A chord transition

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 15 times.

E7 to A

5. A → D chord transition

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 chorus, played 8 times.

6. A → B7 chord transition

Switching from A to B7:

  1. Slide your index finger on D string from fret 2 to 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 G string fret 2.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse.

7. B7 → E7 chord transition

To move from B7 to E7:

  1. While playing B7, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
  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.

This transition appears in the verse.

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

  • Wonderful World includes 59 chord transitions, 7 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Wonderful World contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Wonderful World 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 → F#m: 6%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → A: 17%
    • D → E7: 1%