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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 Taylor - Secret O’ Life Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, G7, F, Em, A, Dm, G, Cmaj7, C7, Em7, A7, Gm
Strumming↓-↓↑

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

CG7
CThesecretoflifeisG7enjoyingthepassageofCtimeG7
CAnyfoolcanG7doitG7,Cthereain’tnothingtoitG7
FNobodyknowshowweEmgottothetopoftheAhillA
ButDmsincewe’reonourwayG7down
WeDmmightaswellenjoytheGride
TheCsecretofloveisinG7openingupyourCheartG7
CIt’sokaytofeel G7afraidG7
ButCdon’tletthatstandinyourwayG7
‘CauseFeveryoneknowsthatEmloveistheonlyAroadAA
AndDmsincewe’reonlyhereforaG7while
WeDmmightaswellshowsomeGstyle
Cmaj7GiveusasmileG7G7
C7Isn’titaFlovelyride,EmslidingEm7downandAglidingA7down
DmTrynottotrytooG7hard,it’sjustalovelyCrideG7
CNowthethingabouttimeisthatG7timeisn’treallyCrealG7
CIt’sjustyourpointofCview,ChowdoesitfeelforyouG7
FEinsteinsaidhecouldEmneverunderstanditAallA
DmPlanetsspinningthroughG7space
TheDmsmileuponyourGface
Cmaj7WelcometothehumanG7raceG7C7
SomekindofFlovelyride,
I’llbeEmslidingEm7down,I’llbeAglidingA7down
DmTrynottotrytooG7hard,it’sjustalovelyCrideGm
C7Isn’titaFlovelyride,
I’llbeEmslidingEm7down,seemeAglidingAdown
DmTrynottotrytoohard,G7it’sjustalovelyCrideG7
Now,theCsecretoflifeisG7enjoyingthepassageofCtime
G7C7
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 Taylor
AlbumJT
GenresFolk
Year1977
KeyC
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Secret O' Life on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

James Taylor - Secret O' Life on ukulele requires 12 chords and 18 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.

Secret O' Life uses these transitions most often: C → G7 (16), G7 → C (15), and Dm → G7 (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 C - G7 chord transition.

1. C → G7 chord transition

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

Switching from C to G7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 16 times.

C to G7

2. G7 → F chord transition

Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram

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, played 3 times.

G7 to F

3. F → Em chord transition

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

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, played 6 times.

F to Em

4. Em → A chord transition

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

To move from Em to A:

  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 C 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 3 times.

Em to A

5. A → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from A to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

6. Dm → G7 chord transition

Switching 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, played 6 times.

7. Dm → G chord transition

Here's how to move from Dm 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. Lift your ring finger from C string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

8. G → C chord transition

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 section.

9. G → Cmaj7 chord transition

Here's how to move from G to Cmaj7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

10. Cmaj7 → G7 chord transition

To move from Cmaj7 to G7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

11. G7 → C7 chord transition

To move from G7 to C7:

  1. While playing G7, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

12. C7 → F chord transition

To move from C7 to F:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

13. Em → Em7 chord transition

Switching from Em to Em7:

  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 C string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

14. Em7 → A chord transition

Here's how to move from Em7 to A:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 3 times.

15. A → A7 chord transition

Here's how to move from A to A7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

16. A7 → Dm chord transition

Switching from A7 to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

17. C → Gm chord transition

Switching from C to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the section.

18. Gm → C7 chord transition

To move from Gm to C7:

  1. While playing Gm, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Keep index finger on A string fret 1.

This transition appears in the section.

Secret O' Life chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Secret O' Life.

  • Secret O' Life includes 82 chord transitions, 18 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Secret O' Life contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Secret O' Life 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 → C7: 5%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G7: 2%
    • C → Gm: 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.