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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 - Sweet Baby James Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsF, C, G, G7, Em, Am7, Dm, Dm7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

FCG
ThereisaCyoung G7cowboyheFlivesontheEmrange
HisAm7horseandhisFcattleareChisonly Emcompanions
HeAm7worksintheFsaddleandheCsleepsintheEmcanyons
FWaitingforAm7Summer,ChisG7pasturestoDmchangeFG7
AndFasthemoonrisesheG7sitsbyhisCfire
Thinkin’Am7aboutFwomenandCglassesofGbeer
AndFclosinghiseyesastheG7doggies Cretire
HesingsAm7outaFsongwhichisCsoftbutit’sEmclear
AsAm7if Dm7maybesomeonecouldG7hear
CGoodnightyouFmoonlightGladies,
Am7RockabyeFsweetbabyCJames
Am7DeepgreensandFbluesaretheCcolorsIchoose
Dm7Won’tyouletmeAm7godowninG7mydreams
AndFrockabyeGsweetbabyJamesC
Nowthefirstof G7DecemberwascoveredFwithEmsnow
AndAm7sowastheFturnpikefromCStockbridgetoEmBoston
Thoughthe Am7BerkshiresseemedFdreamlikeon CaccountofthatEmfrosting
WithFtenmilesAm7behindmeCandG7tenthousandDmmoretogoFG7
There’saFsongthattheysingwhentheyGtaketotheChighway
AAm7songthattheyFsingwhentheyCtaketotheGsea
AFsongthattheysingoftheirGhomeintheCsky
MaybeAm7youcan FbelieveitCifithelpsyoutosleep
ButDmsingingworksjustfineforGme
CGoodnightyouFmoonlightGladies,
Am7RockabyeFsweetbabyCJames
Am7DeepgreensandFbluesaretheCcoloursIchoose
Dm7Won’tyouletmeAm7godowninG7mydreams
AndFrockabyeGsweetbabyJamesC
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
AlbumSweet Baby James
GenresFolk, Folk Rock, Rock
Year1970
KeyC
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Sweet Baby James on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

James Taylor - Sweet Baby James on ukulele requires 8 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.

Sweet Baby James uses these transitions most often: F → C (13), Am7 → F (12), and C → Am7 (8). 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 F - C chord transition.

1. F → C chord transition

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

Switching from F to C:

  1. While playing F, first lift your index finger and middle finger.
  2. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 13 times.

F to C

2. 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 3 times.

C to G

3. 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

To move 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 4 times.

C to G7

4. 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

To move 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 6 times.

G7 to F

5. F → Em chord transition

Switching 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 2 times.

6. Em → Am7 chord transition

Switching from Em to Am7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 5 times.

7. Am7 → F chord transition

Switching from Am7 to F:

  1. Place index finger on E string fret 1.
  2. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 12 times.

8. C → Em chord transition

Switching 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, played 5 times.

9. Am7 → C chord transition

Switching from Am7 to C:

  1. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

10. G7 → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from G7 to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

11. Dm → F chord transition

To move from Dm to F:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

12. G → F chord transition

Here's how to move from G to F:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

13. Am7 → Dm7 chord transition

Switching from Am7 to Dm7:

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

This transition appears in the section.

14. Dm7 → G7 chord transition

To move from Dm7 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 on A string from fret 3 to fret 2.

This transition appears in the section.

15. C → Dm7 chord transition

Switching from C to Dm7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

16. Am7 → G7 chord transition

To move from Am7 to G7:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

17. C → Dm chord transition

To move from C to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the section.

18. Dm → G chord transition

Switching 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.

Sweet Baby James chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Sweet Baby James.

  • Sweet Baby James includes 103 chord transitions, 18 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Sweet Baby James contains 4 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Sweet Baby James connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
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.