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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.

James Arthur - Hold On Ukulele Chords

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

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

GBmEmC
GEmptyBmglancesandnoromanceEmconversationConlyhi
GYouknowmyBmwaysandhowtoplaymeEm
IamjustyourhabitforCkillingtime
AndIEmknowit’sallCwrongbutEmIjustdon’tfeelCstrong.
SoIEmkeepholdingon,CandICaskyou,IaskyouCpleaseto…
GHoldmeBmbeforeyougo,wedon’tAmholdeach EmotherDanymore.
AndGkissmelikeyouBmissme.
‘CauseitCfeelslikewe’rejustCmfeelslikewe’reholdingGon.
GBmEmC
GWeonlytalkwhenthingsgoBmwrongweneverseemtohavemuchEmfun
FYourlifeisalwaysontherunawayfromme.,GItrytofixitmakeitBmright
ButyoufeelcoldinbedatEmnight,FwhenIholdyoucloseuptight
Istillmissyou…
AndIEmknowit’sallCwrongbutEmIjustdon’tfeelCstrong.
SoIEmkeepholdingon,CandICaskyou,IaskyouCplease.
JustGholdmeBmbeforeyougo,wedon’tAmholdeachotherEmanymore.
AndGkissmelikeyouBmissme.
‘CauseitCfeelslikewe’rejustCmfeelslikewe’reholdingGon.
BmTherewasatimewhenourEmloveitwassosweet
AndAmnothingstoodbetweenBmusandtheworldseemssocomplete
DAndnowitfeelslikethere’sEmnoearthbeneathmyfeet
AndI‘mAmfallingintodarkness,andit’sCmyouIneedtoDsee.CmD
GHoldmeBmbeforeyougo,wedon’tAmholdeach EmotherDanymore.
AndGkissmelikeyouBmissme.
‘CauseitCfeelslikewe’rejustCmfeelslikewe’reholdingGon.
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.
ArtistJames Arthur
AlbumSins by the Sea
GenresFolk, Pop
Year2011
KeyG
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Hold On on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

James Arthur - Hold On on ukulele requires 9 chords and 17 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.

Hold On uses these transitions most often: Em → C (10), G → Bm (10), and Bm → Em (7). 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 - Bm chord transition.

1. G → Bm chord transition

Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele Bm chord diagram Fingering: 4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele Bm chord diagram

To move from G to Bm:

  1. While playing G, lift your middle finger from A string fret 2.
  2. Keep index finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 4.

This transition appears in the section, played 10 times.

G to Bm

2. Bm → Em chord transition

Ukulele Bm chord diagram Fingering: 4-2-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele Bm chord diagram
Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram

Here's how to move from Bm to Em:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 7 times.

Bm to Em

3. Em → C chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Em to C:

  1. While playing Em, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Lift your ring finger from C string fret 4 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 10 times.

Em to C

4. 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 section, played 5 times.

C to G

5. Bm → Am chord transition

Switching from Bm to Am:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

6. Am → Em chord transition

Switching 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 chorus, played 3 times.

7. 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 chorus, played 3 times.

8. D → G chord transition

To move 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 chorus, played 4 times.

9. G → B chord transition

Switching from G to B:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

10. B → C chord transition

To move from B to C:

  1. While playing B, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 4 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

11. C → Cm chord transition

To move from C to Cm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

12. Cm → G chord transition

Switching from Cm to G:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

13. Em → F chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to F:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

14. 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 section.

15. Bm → D chord transition

To move from Bm to D:

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

This transition appears in the section.

16. Am → Cm chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to Cm:

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

This transition appears in the section.

17. Cm → D chord transition

Switching from Cm to D:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

Hold On chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Hold On.

  • Hold On includes 75 chord transitions, 17 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Hold On contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Hold On 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 → C: 27%
    • Em → D: 18%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → Em: 8%
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.