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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.

Burl Ives - A Holly Jolly Christmas Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG7, C, Cmaj7, G, F, Em, Dm, E7, Am, D7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

G7HaveaCHolly,Cmaj7JollyCChristmasCmaj7
It’stheCbesttimeGoftheG7year.
G7Idon’tknowifthere’llbesnow,
ButG7haveacupofCcheer.
G7HaveaCHolly,Cmaj7JollyCChristmasCmaj7
AndwhenCyouwalkGdowntheG7street..
G7sayhello,tofriendsyouknow..
AndG7everyoneyouCmeet.G7
FOh,ho,theEmmistletoe
DmhungwhereG7youcanCsee.
DmSomebodyAmwaitsforyou
D7kissheronceforGmeG7
G7HaveaCHolly,Cmaj7JollyCChristmasCmaj7
AndinCcaseyouGdidn’tG7hear,
G7Oh,bygolly,haveaCHolly,AmJolly
D7ChristmasG7thisCyear.
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.
ArtistBurl Ives
AlbumHave a Holly Jolly Christmas
GenresChristmas, Folk, Jazz, New Age, Pop
Year1965
KeyG
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play A Holly Jolly Christmas on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Burl Ives - A Holly Jolly Christmas on ukulele requires 10 chords and 15 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.

A Holly Jolly Christmas uses these transitions most often: G7 → C (8), C → Cmaj7 (6), and Cmaj7 → C (6). 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 G7 - C chord transition.

1. G7 → C chord transition

Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram
Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram

Switching from G7 to C:

  1. While playing G7, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Slide your ring finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

G7 to C

2. C → Cmaj7 chord transition

Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele Cmaj7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-2Ukulele Cmaj7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from C to Cmaj7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 6 times.

C to Cmaj7

3. 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

Switching 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 section, played 3 times.

C to G

4. G → G7 chord transition

Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from G to G7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

G to G7

5. G7 → F chord transition

Switching from G7 to F:

  1. While playing G7, lift your ring finger from A string fret 2.
  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.

6. 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.

7. Em → Dm chord transition

To move from Em to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the section.

8. Dm → G7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Dm to G7:

  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 A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

9. C → Dm chord transition

Switching 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 section.

10. Dm → E7 chord transition

To move from Dm to E7:

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

This transition appears in the section.

11. E7 → Am chord transition

To move from E7 to Am:

  1. While playing E7, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from C string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

12. Am → D7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to D7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

13. D7 → G chord transition

Here's how to move from D7 to G:

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

This transition appears in the section.

14. C → Am chord transition

Switching from C to Am:

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

This transition appears in the section.

15. D7 → G7 chord transition

Here's how to move from D7 to G7:

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

This transition appears in the section.

A Holly Jolly Christmas chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in A Holly Jolly Christmas.

  • A Holly Jolly Christmas includes 41 chord transitions, 15 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • A Holly Jolly Christmas contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how A Holly Jolly Christmas connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C: 69%
    • G7 → F: 5%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → Am: 10%
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.