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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.

John Denver - Rocky Mountain High Ukulele Chords

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

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

DEmGDEmGA7
HewasDborninthesummer,ofhisEmtwentyCseventhAyear;
ComingDhometoaplacehe’dneverEmbeen Gbefore
HeDleftyesterdaybehindhim,
youmightEmsayhewasCborn Aagain
YoumightDsayhefoundakeyforEmeveryGdoor
WhenheDfirstcametothemountains,hisEmlifewasCfar Aaway;
OntheDroadandhangingEmbyaGsong
ButtheDstring’salreadybroken,andheEmdoesn’tCreallyAcare;
ItkeepsDchangingfast,anditdon’tEmlastforGlongA
ButtheGColoradoARockyMountainDhigh
I’veGseenitrainingAfireintheDsky
TheGshadowfromtheAstarlightisDsofterthanaGlullaby
RockyAMountainDhigh,EmColorado
RockyAMountainDhigh,EmColoradoA7
HeDclimbedcathedralmountains,hesawEmsilverCclouds Abelow;
hesawDeverythingasfarasEmyoucanGsee
AndtheyDsaythathegotcrazyonce,
andheEmtriedtoCtouchtheAsun;
AndheDlostafriendbutEmkepttheCmemory
NowheDwalksinquietsolitude,theEmforestsCandtheAstreams;
seekingDgraceineveryEmstepheGtakes
HisDsighthasturnedinsidehimselftoEmtryandCunderstand;
the DserenityofaEmclearblueCmountainGlake
AndtheGColoradoARockyMountainDhigh
I’veGseenitrainingAfireintheDsky
GtalktoGodandAlistentotheDcasualAreply
RockyAMountainDhigh,EmColorado
RockyAMountainDhigh,EmColoradoA7
NowhisDlifeisfullofwonder,
buthisEmheartstillCknowssomeAfear;
ofaDsimplethingheEmcannotCcomprehend
WhytheyDtrytotearthemountainsdown,
ToEmbringinaCcoupleAmore;
moreDpeople,moreEmscars CupontheGland
AndtheGColoradoARockyMountainDhigh
I’veGseenitrainingAfireintheDsky
IGknowhe’dbeaApoorermanifheDneversawanGeagleGfly
RockyAMountainDhigh
AndtheGColoradoARockyMountainDhigh
I’veGseenitrainingAfireintheDsky
GFriendsaroundtheAcampfireandDeveryAbody’sGhigh
RockyAMountainDhigh,EmColorado
RockyAMountainDhigh,EmColorado
ARocky DMountainEmhigh,GColorado
RockyAMountainDhigh,EmColorado
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.
ArtistJohn Denver
AlbumRocky Mountain High
GenresFolk
Year1972
KeyD
DifficultyEasy

How to play Rocky Mountain High on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

John Denver - Rocky Mountain High on ukulele requires 6 chords and 10 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.

Rocky Mountain High uses these transitions most often: A → D (31), D → Em (30), and G → A (25). 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 30 times.

D to Em

2. 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

Switching 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 16 times.

Em to G

3. G → D chord transition

Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram

To move from G to D:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 8 times.

G to D

4. G → A7 chord transition

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

To move from G to A7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

G to A7

5. A7 → D chord transition

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 3 times.

6. Em → C chord transition

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 14 times.

7. C → A chord transition

Here's how to move from C to A:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 10 times.

8. A → D chord transition

To move from A to D:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 31 times.

9. G → A chord transition

To move from G to A:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 25 times.

10. C → G chord transition

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 4 times.

Rocky Mountain High chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Rocky Mountain High.

  • Rocky Mountain High includes 162 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Rocky Mountain High contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Rocky Mountain High connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After D, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (28%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 28%
    • D → A: 17%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → D: 24%
    • G → A: 6%
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.