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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.

Sam Smith - Writing’s On The Wall Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsEm, G, C, B, D, Bm, Am
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

EmGEmG
EmI’vebeenhereGbefore
EmButalwayshittheGfloor
I’veCspentalifetimerunning
AndIBalwaysgetaway
ButwithCyouI’mfeelingsomething
ThatBmakesmewanttoBstay
EmI’mpreparedforGthis
EmInevershoottoGmiss
ButICfeellikeastormiscoming
IfI’mBgonnamakeitthroughtheday
Thenthere’sCnomoreuseinrunning
ThisisBsomethingIgottaBface
EmIfDIGriskitCall
EmCouldDyouGbreakmyBfall?
HowdoIEmlive?HowdoIDbreathe?
Whenyou’renotChereI’mDsuffocating
IwanttofeelEmlove,runthroughmyDblood
TellmeisCthiswhereIgiveitallBmup?
ForAmyouIhavetoAmriskitBmall
Causethewriting’sontheEmwall
EmG
EmAmillionshardsofGglass
EmThathauntmefrommyGpast
AstheCstarsbegintogather
AndtheBlightbeginstofade
WhenallChopebeginstoshatter
KnowthatBIwon’tbeBafraid
EmIfDIGriskitCall
EmCouldDyouGbreakmyBfall?
HowdoIEmlive?HowdoIDbreathe?
Whenyou’renotChereI’mDsuffocating
IwanttofeelEmlove,runthroughmyDblood
TellmeisCthiswhereIgiveitallBmup?
ForAmyouIhavetoAmriskitBmall
Causethewriting’sontheEmwall
Thewriting’sontheEmwallG
CBCBB
HowdoIEmlive?HowdoIDbreathe?
Whenyou’renotChereI’mDsuffocating
IwanttofeelEmlove,runthroughmyDblood
TellmeisCthiswhereIgiveitallDup?
HowdoIEmlive?HowdoIDbreathe?
Whenyou’renotChereI’mDsuffocating
IwanttofeelEmlove,runthroughmyDblood
TellmeisCthiswhereIgiveitallBmup?
ForAmyouIhavetoAmriskitBmall
Causethewriting’sontheEmwall
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.
ArtistSam Smith
AlbumBravo: The Hits 2015
GenresPop
Year2015
KeyEm
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Writing's On The Wall on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Sam Smith - Writing's On The Wall on guitar requires 7 chords and 12 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.

Writing's On The Wall uses these transitions most often: Em → D (12), Em → G (11), and B → Em (9). 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 Em - G chord transition.

1. Em → G chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

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 11 times.

Em to G

2. G → C chord transition

Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

Switching from G to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 6 times.

G to C

3. C → B chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar B chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar B chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to B:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 8 times.

C to B

4. B → Em chord transition

Guitar B chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 2.Guitar B chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from B to Em:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 9 times.

B to Em

5. Em → D chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to D:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 12 times.

6. D → G chord transition

Here's how 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 chorus, played 4 times.

7. C → Em chord transition

Switching from C to Em:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

8. G → B chord transition

To move from G to B:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

9. D → C chord transition

Switching from D to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 8 times.

10. C → Bm chord transition

Switching from C to Bm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

11. Bm → Am chord transition

To move from Bm to Am:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

12. Bm → B chord transition

To move from Bm to B:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

Writing's On The Wall chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Writing's On The Wall.

  • Writing's On The Wall includes 95 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Writing's On The Wall contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Writing's On The Wall connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → G: 18%
    • Em → D: 18%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → D: 11%
    • C → Em: 8%
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.