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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.

Avril Lavigne - Head Above Water Ukulele Chords

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

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

DmBbF
I’vegottaDmkeepthecalmBbbeforetheFstorm
IDmdon’twantless,IBbdon’twantFmore
MustDmbarthewindowsBbandtheFdoors
ToDmkeepmesafe,toBbkeepmeFwarm
Yeah,myDmlifeiswhatI’mBbfightingFfor
Can’tDmpartthesea,can’tBbreachtheFshore
AndmyDmvoicebecomestheBbdrivingFforce
Iwon’tDmletthispullmeBboverFboard
God,keepmyDmheadaboveBbwater,don’tletmeFdrown
ItgetsCharder,I’llmetyouDmthereattheBbaltar
AsIFfalldowntomyCknees,don’tletmeDmdrown,drown,Bbdrown
Don’tletme,Fdon’tletme,don’tletmeCdrown
SoDmpullmeupfromBbdownFbelow,’causeI’mDmunderneaththeBbunderFtow
ComeDmdrymeoffandBbholdmeFclose,IDmneedyounow,IBbneedyouFmost
God,keepmyDmheadaboveBbwater,don’tletmeFdrown
ItgetsCharder,I’llmetyouDmthereattheBbaltar
AsIFfalldowntomyCknees,don’tletmeDmdrown,drown,Bbdrown
Don’tletme,Fdon’tletme,don’tletmeCdrown
Don’tletmeDmdrown,drown,Bbdrown
(Don’tletme,Fdon’tletme,don’tletmeCdrown)
Keepmyheadabovewater,abovewater
AndBbICcan’tFseeintheDmstormyCweather
BbICcan’tFseemtokeepitDmallCtogether
AndBbIcan’tCswimtheFoceanlikeDmthisCforever,andBbIcan’tCbreath
God,keepmyDmheadaboveBbwater,IloosemyFbreath,attheCbottom
ComerescueDmme,I’llbeBbwaiting,I’mtooFyoungtofallaslCeep
God,keepmyDmheadaboveBbwater,don’tletmeFdrown,itgetsCharder
I’llmetyouDmthereattheBbaltar,asIFfalldowntomyCknees
Don’tletmeDmdrownBbdon’tletme,Fdon’tletme,don’tletmeCdrown
Don’tletmeDmdrownBb(Don’tletme,Fdon’tletme,don’tletmeCdrown)
Keepmyheadabovewater,abovewater
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.
ArtistAvril Lavigne
AlbumHead Above Water
GenresAlternative, Indie, Pop
Year2019
KeyDm
DifficultyEasy

How to play Head Above Water on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Avril Lavigne - Head Above Water on ukulele requires 4 chords and 6 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.

Head Above Water uses these transitions most often: Bb → F (26), Dm → Bb (26), and F → Dm (16). 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 Dm - Bb chord transition.

1. Dm → Bb chord transition

Ukulele Dm chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-1-0Ukulele Dm chord diagram
Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from Dm to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 26 times.

Dm to Bb

2. Bb → F chord transition

Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram

Here's how to move from Bb to F:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 26 times.

Bb to F

3. F → Dm chord transition

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

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, played 16 times.

F to Dm

4. F → C chord transition

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

Switching from F to C:

  1. While playing F, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 13 times.

F to C

5. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 12 times.

6. C → Bb chord transition

Here's how to move from C to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

Head Above Water chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Head Above Water.

  • Head Above Water includes 107 chord transitions, 6 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Head Above Water contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Head Above Water connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → F: 34%
    • Bb → C: 20%
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → C: 18%
    • Dm → Bb: 9%
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.