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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.

Carpenters - Yesterday Once More Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Em, Am, F, Dm, G, Bm, G7, G#, Cm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

WhenIwasCyoungI’dlistenedtotheEmradio
Waitin’AmformyfavoriteFsongs
WhentheyCplayedI’dEmsingalong
ItmademeDmsmileG
ThoseweresuchChappytimes
AndnotsoEmlongago
HowIAmwonderedwherethey’dFgone
BmButthey’reAmbackagain
JustlikeaClonglostfriend
AlltheFsongsIlovedsoGwell
G7EveryCSha-la-la-la,everyAmWo-wo-wo
StillCshinesAm
EveryCshing-a-ling-a-ling,thatthey’reAmstartingtosing
SoDmfineG
WhentheyAmgettothepartwherehe’sG#breakin’herheart
ItcanCreallymakemeCmcry
Justlike Cbe-foreG
It’syesterdayonceCmoreDmCF
Lookin’Cbackonhowitwas
In Emyearsgoneby
AndtheAmgoodtimesthatIFhad
Makes Fto-dayseemratherEmsad
SomuchhasDmchangedG
ItwasCsongsoflovethatIwouldEmsingtothen
AndI’dAmmemorizeeachFword
BmThoseoldAmmelodies
StillsoundsoAmgoodtome
AstheyFmelttheyearsGaway
G7EveryCSha-la-la-la,everyAmWo-wo-wo
StillCshinesAm
EveryCshing-a-ling-a-ling,thatthey’reAmstartingtosing
SoDmfineG
AllmyAmbestmemoriescomebackG#clearlytome
SomecanCevenmakemeFcry
Justlike Cbe-foreG
It’syesterdayonceCmore
G7EveryCSha-la-la-la,everyAmWo-wo-wo
StillCshinesAm
EveryCshing-a-ling-a-ling,thatthey’reAmstartingtosing
SoDmfineG
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.
ArtistThe Carpenters
AlbumNow & Then
GenresPop
Year1973
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Yesterday Once on Guitar (Step-by-step)

The Carpenters - Yesterday Once on guitar requires 10 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.

Yesterday Once uses these transitions most often: C → Am (9), Am → C (7), and Am → F (5). 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 C - Em chord transition.

1. C → Em chord transition

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

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 verse, played 5 times.

C to Em

2. Em → Am chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram

Here's how to move from Em to Am:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

Em to Am

3. Am → F chord transition

Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from Am to F:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 5 times.

Am to F

4. F → C chord transition

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

To move from F to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

F to C

5. Em → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to Dm:

  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 3.
  3. Place index finger on E string fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

6. Dm → G chord transition

Switching from Dm to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G 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 5 times.

7. G → C chord transition

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 4 times.

8. F → Bm chord transition

Switching from F to Bm:

  1. Slide your index finger on E string from fret 1 to fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G 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. Slide your pinky from D string fret 3 to G string fret 4.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

9. Bm → Am chord transition

Here's how 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 verse, played 2 times.

10. Am → C chord transition

To move from Am to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

11. F → G chord transition

Switching from F to G:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

12. G → G7 chord transition

Switching from G to G7:

  1. Keep index finger on A string fret 2.
  2. Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
  3. Slide your ring finger on E string from fret 3 to fret 1.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

13. G7 → C chord transition

To move from G7 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 1 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

14. Am → Dm chord transition

Switching from Am to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

15. G → Am chord transition

Switching from G to Am:

  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 G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

16. Am → G# chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to G#:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

17. G# → C chord transition

Switching from G# to C:

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

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

18. C → Cm chord transition

Here's how to move from C to Cm:

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

This transition appears in the verse.

19. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm:

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

20. F → Em chord transition

Switching from F to Em:

  1. While playing F, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your middle finger from G 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 verse.

Yesterday Once chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Yesterday Once.

  • Yesterday Once includes 75 chord transitions, 20 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Yesterday Once contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Yesterday Once connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → C: 16%
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.