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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.

David Bowie - China Girl Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, Am, Em, B, F, D, C
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

GAmGAm
GIcouldescapethisfeeling,AmwithmyChinaGirl
GIfeelawreckwithoutmy,AmlittleChinaGirl
EmIhearherheartbeating,Gloudasthunder
AmSawthestarscrashingB
GI’mamesswithoutAmmylittleChinaGirl
GWakeupinthemorningwhere’smy,AmlittleChinaGirl
EmIhearherheart’sbeating,Gloudasthunder
AmSawthestarscrashingBdown
GIfeela-tragiclikeI’mFMarlonBrando
EmWhenIlookatmyChinaDGirl
GIcouldpretendthatnothingFreallymeanttoomuch
EmWhenIlookatmyChinaDGirl
EmDCB
EmIstumbleintotownDjustlikeasacredcow
CVisionsofswastikasinmyhead,Bplansforeveryone
EmIt’sinthewhitesofmyDeyesCB
EmMylittleChinaGirl,Dyoushouldn’tmesswithme
CI’llruineverythingyouBare
EmI’llgiveyoutelevision,DI’llgiveyoueyesofblue
CI’llgiveyouamanwhowantstoBruletheworld
GAndwhenIgetexcited,FmylittleChinaGirlsays
EmOhbabyjustyoushutyourDmouth
ShesaysEmshhhD
ShesaysCshhhB
ShesaysEmD
ShesaysCB
EmDCB
GAndwhenIgetexcitedFmylittleChinaGirlsays
EmOhbabyjustyoushutyourDmouth
GAndwhenIgetexcitedFmylittleChinaGirlsays
EmOhbabyjustyoushutyourDmouth
ShesaysEmshhhD
ShesaysCshhhB
EmDCBEm
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.
ArtistDavid Bowie
AlbumLet's Dance
GenresRock
Year1983
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play China Girl on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

David Bowie - China Girl on ukulele 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.

China Girl uses these transitions most often: Em → D (15), C → B (10), and D → C (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 G - Am chord transition.

1. 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

Here's how 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 intro, played 8 times.

G to Am

2. Am → Em chord transition

Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram

Here's how to move from Am to Em:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

Am to Em

3. Em → G chord transition

Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram

To move from Em to G:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

Em to G

4. Am → B chord transition

Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
Ukulele B chord diagram Fingering: 4-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele B chord diagram

To move from Am to B:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

Am to B

5. B → G chord transition

Here's how to move from B to G:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

6. G → F chord transition

To move from G to F:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 5 times.

7. F → Em chord transition

Here's how to move from F to Em:

  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. Place ring finger on C string fret 4.

This transition appears in the section, played 5 times.

8. Em → D chord transition

To move from Em to D:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 15 times.

9. D → G chord transition

Switching from D to G:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

10. D → C chord transition

To move from D to C:

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

This transition appears in the interlude, played 10 times.

11. C → B chord transition

Switching from C to B:

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

This transition appears in the interlude, played 10 times.

12. B → Em chord transition

Switching from B to Em:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

China Girl chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in China Girl.

  • China Girl includes 80 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • China Girl contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how China Girl connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (27%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → G: 18%
    • Em → D: 18%
    After D, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (28%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 28%
    • D → Em: 17%
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.