Skip to song content
Ukulelearn homepage
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.

Carpenters - Only Yesterday Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, Em, A7, G, C, F#, Bm, Em7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

DAfterlongenoughofbeingEmalone
EveryonemustA7facetheirshareofDloneliness
InmyowntimenobodyA7knewthepainIwasgoingGthrough
EmWaitingwasallmyA7heartcoulddo
DHopewasallIhaduntilyouEmcame
Maybeyoucan’tA7seehowmuchyouDmeanttome
YouwerethedawnbreakingtheA7nightthepromiseofmorningGlight
EmFillingtheworld A7surroundingmewhenIholdyou
CBabybabyfeelslikemaybethingswillbe Emalright
CBabybabyyourlove’smademefreeasthesongA7singingforever
DOnlyyesterdaywhenIwasEmsadandIwasA7lonely
DYoushowedmethewaytoleavetheEmpastandallit’sA7tearsbehindme
TomorrowF#maybeevenBmbrighterthantoday
SinceEmIthrewmyA7sadness Em7away,A7only Dyesterday
DIhavefoundmyhomehereinyourEmarms
NowhereelseonA7earthI’dreallyratherDbe
LifewaitsforusshareitwithA7me,thebestisabouttoGbe
EmAndsomuchisleftforA7ustosee,WhenIholdyou
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.
ArtistCarpenters
AlbumHorizon
GenresPop
Year1975
KeyD
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Only Yesterday on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Carpenters - Only Yesterday on ukulele requires 8 chords and 11 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.

Only Yesterday uses these transitions most often: Em → A7 (9), A7 → D (7), and D → Em (5). 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 D - Em chord transition.

1. D → Em chord transition

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

Switching from D to Em:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 5 times.

D to Em

2. Em → A7 chord transition

Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram

Here's how to move from Em to A7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 9 times.

Em to A7

3. A7 → D chord transition

Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram
Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram

To move from A7 to D:

  1. Lift your index finger from C string fret 1 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 7 times.

A7 to D

4. A7 → G chord transition

Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram
Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram

To move from A7 to G:

  1. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 1 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 section, played 3 times.

A7 to G

5. G → Em chord transition

Switching from G to Em:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

6. A7 → C chord transition

Here's how to move from A7 to C:

  1. While playing A7, lift your index finger from C string fret 1.
  2. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section.

7. C → Em chord transition

To move from C to Em:

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

This transition appears in the section.

8. A7 → F# chord transition

Switching from A7 to F#:

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

This transition appears in the section.

9. F# → Bm chord transition

Here's how to move from F# to Bm:

  1. While playing F#, lift your middle finger from E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your index finger on C string from fret 1 to fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on G string from fret 3 to fret 4.

This transition appears in the section.

10. Bm → Em chord transition

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.

11. A7 → Em7 chord transition

To move from A7 to Em7:

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

This transition appears in the section.

Only Yesterday chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Only Yesterday.

  • Only Yesterday includes 39 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Only Yesterday contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Only Yesterday connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After A7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are D (41%), D7 (18%), and Dm (13%).
    • A7 → D: 41%
    • A7 → G: 4%
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (27%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 27%
    • Em → A7: 1%
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.