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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.

Christmas Carol - Santa Claus Is Comin’ to Town Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsG, C, Em, Am7, D, G7, A7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

YouGbetterwatchout,youCbetternotcry
YouGbetternotpout,I’mCtellingyouwhy
GSantaEmClausisAm7comingtoDtownG
He’sGmakingalist,andCcheckingittwice;
GGonnafindoutwho’sCnaughtyandnice.
GSantaEmClausisAm7comingtoDtownG
HeG7seesyouwhenyou’reCsleeping
HeG7knowswhenyou’reCawake
HeA7knowsifyou’vebeenDbadorgood
SobeA7goodforgoodnessDsake
YouGbetterwatchout,youCbetternotcry
YouGbetternotpout,I’mCtellingyouwhy
GSantaEmClausisAm7comingtoDtownG
GSantaEmClausisAm7comingtoDtownG
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.
ArtistChristmas Carol
AlbumSanta Claus Is Comin' to Town
GenresChristmas
Year1934
KeyG
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Christmas Carol - Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town on ukulele requires 7 chords and 9 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.

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town uses these transitions most often: C → G (6), G → C (6), and D → G (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 G - C chord transition.

1. G → C chord transition

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

Switching from G to C:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 6 times.

G to C

2. G → Em chord transition

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

Here's how to move 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 chorus, played 4 times.

G to Em

3. Em → Am7 chord transition

Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
Ukulele Am7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-0Ukulele Am7 chord diagram

To move from Em to Am7:

  1. While playing Em, first lift your index finger, middle finger, and ring finger.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 4 times.

Em to Am7

4. Am7 → D chord transition

Ukulele Am7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-0Ukulele Am7 chord diagram
Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram

To move from Am7 to D:

  1. Place index finger 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 chorus, played 4 times.

Am7 to D

5. D → G chord transition

Here's how 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 5 times.

6. G → G7 chord transition

Switching 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.

7. G7 → C chord transition

To move 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 2 times.

8. C → A7 chord transition

To move from C to A7:

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

This transition appears in the section.

9. A7 → D chord transition

Switching 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 2 times.

Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town.

  • Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town includes 37 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Santa Claus Is Comin' to Town connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → Em: 9%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → G7: 2%
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.