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14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?We analyzed 14,015 chord transitions and ranked the 100 most repeated ones. Even the first 10 will transform your practice routine. The top transition appears in 23% of all songs.

Sara Bareilles - Bad Idea Ukulele Chords

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

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

CIt’sabadidea,meandyou,Cit’sabadidea,meandyou
FI’veneverknownanythingsotrue,it’saCterribleidea,meandyou
CYouhaveawife,youhaveahusband
CYou’remydoctor,you’vegotababycoming
FIt’sabadidea,meandyou
CLet’sjustkeepkissing’tilwecometo…
GHeart,stopracing
Let’sAmfaceitmakingFmistakeslikethis
WillmakeCworsewhatwasalreadyprettybad
GMind,stoprunning,it’sAmtimewejustletthisFthinggo
ItwasaFprettygoodbadCidea,wasn’titthough?
CIt’sabadidea,meandyou,it’sabadidea,meandyou
FHoldmeclosewhileIthinkthisthrough(Um,um,yeah)
Yeah,it’saCverypooridea,meandyou
CIgotawife,Igotahusband,I’myourdoctor
Mydumbbaby’scoming,Fit’sabadidea,meandyou
MaybeConemorekisswillmakeuscometo
GHeart,stopracing
Let’sAmfaceitmakingFmistakeslikethis
WillmakeCworsewhatwasalreadyprettybad
GMind,stoprunning,it’sAmtimewejustletthisFthinggo
ItwasaFprettygoodbadCidea,wasn’titthough?
CIknowFwhat’srightforme
It’stheAmonlyCthingI’veFeverdone
WhatifIDmneverseemyselfeverbeAmanythingmore
ThanwhatI’veCalreadybecome?
FIneedabadidea,Ineedabadidea,Ineedabadidea
Ineedabadidea,justone
GHeart,stopracing
Let’sAmfaceitmakingFmistakeslikethis
WillmakeCworsewhatwasalreadyprettybad
GMind,stoprunning,it’sAmtimewejustletthisFthinggo
ItwasaFprettygoodbadCidea,wasn’titthough?
GHeart,keepracing,let’sAmmakemistakes
LetusFsay“sowhat?”AndmakeCworsewhatwasalreadyprettybad
GThissecretAmissafe,
NoreasontoFthrowitawaywhenCthere’slovetobehad
GHoldmetightasAmItellmyselfthatyouFmightmakesense
AndmakeCgoodwhathasbeenjustsobad
GLet’sseeAmthisthrough,it’saFprettygoodbadidea
CMeandyou
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on the ukulele.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master ukulele today with the 100 most repeated chord transitions from 14,015 analyzed.
ArtistSara Bareilles
AlbumWhat's Inside: Songs from Waitress
GenresPop
Year2015
KeyC
DifficultyEasy

How to play Bad Idea on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Sara Bareilles - Bad Idea on ukulele requires 5 chords and 8 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.

Bad Idea uses these transitions most often: F → C (14), Am → F (10), and G → Am (10). 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 - F chord transition.

1. C → F chord transition

Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram

Switching from C to F:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 7 times.

C to F

2. C → G chord transition

Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to G:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 9 times.

C to G

3. G → Am chord transition

Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram

To move from G to Am:

  1. While playing G, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 10 times.

G to Am

4. Am → F chord transition

Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram

Here's how to move from Am to F:

  1. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on E string fret 1.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 10 times.

Am to F

5. Am → C chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to C:

  1. While playing Am, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

6. F → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from F to Dm:

  1. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

7. Dm → Am chord transition

To move from Dm to Am:

  1. While playing Dm, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

8. F → G chord transition

Here's how to move from F to G:

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

This transition appears in the chorus.

Bad Idea chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Bad Idea.

  • Bad Idea includes 56 chord transitions, 8 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Bad Idea contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Bad Idea connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains extracted from real songs. See which songs use each chain, learn the finger transitions, and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.