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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.

Billy Joel - Uptown Girl 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, A, Bb, Gm, Cm, F, C, Am
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

DEmDGA
DUptowngirl,Emshe’sbeenlivinginherDuptownworld
GIbetsheAneverhadaDbackstreetguy
EmIbethermamaneverDtoldherwhy
GI’mgonnaAtryforan
DUptowngirl,Emshe’sbeenlivinginherDwhitebreadworld
GAslongasAanyonewithDhotbloodcan
EmAndnowshe’slookingforaDdowntownman
GThat’swhatIAam
BbAndwhensheGmknowswhatsheCmwantsfromherFtime
BbAndwhensheGmwakesupandCmmakesupherFmind
GShe’llseeI’mEmnotsotough
CJustbecauseAI’minlovewithanDuptowngirl
EmYouknowI’veseenherinherDuptownworld
GShe’sgettingAtiredofherDhighclasstoys
EmAndallherpresentsfromherDuptownboys
GShe’sgotaAchoice
FWhoo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
Emooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-oah
FWhoo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
Emooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-oah
DUptowngirl,EmyouknowIcan’taffordtoDbuyherpearls
GButmaybeAsomedaywhenmyDshipcomesin
EmShe’llunderstandwhatkindofDguyI’vebeen
GAndthenI’llAwin
BbAndwhenshe’sGmwalking,she’sCmlookingsoFfine
BbAndwhenshe’sGmtalking,she’llCmsaythatshe’sFmine
GShe’llsayI’mEmnotsotough,CjustbecauseAI’minlovewithan
DUptowngirl,Emshe’sbeenlivinginherDwhitebreadworld
GAslongasAanyonewithDhotbloodcan
EmAndnowshe’slookingforaDdowntownman
GThat’swhatIAam
FWhoo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
Emooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-oah
FWhoo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo
Emooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-ooo-oah
DUptowngirl,Emshe’smyuptownDgirl
YouGknowI’minAlovewithanDuptowngirl
EmMyuptownDgirlyouGknowI’minAlove
WithanDuptowngirl,EmmyuptownDgirl
YouGknowI’minAlovewithanDuptowngirl
EmMyuptownDgirl
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.
ArtistBilly Joel
AlbumAn Innocent Man
GenresPop
Year1983
KeyD
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Uptown Girl on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Billy Joel - Uptown Girl on ukulele requires 10 chords and 17 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.

Uptown Girl uses these transitions most often: D → Em (15), Em → D (15), and A → D (14). 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

To move 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 intro, played 15 times.

D to Em

2. D → G chord transition

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

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 intro, played 14 times.

D to G

3. G → A chord transition

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

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 intro, played 14 times.

G to A

4. A → D chord transition

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

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 14 times.

A to D

5. A → Bb chord transition

Switching from A to Bb:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

6. Bb → Gm chord transition

To move from Bb to Gm:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

7. Gm → Cm chord transition

To move from Gm to Cm:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

8. Cm → F chord transition

To move from Cm to F:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 4 times.

9. F → Bb chord transition

To move from F to Bb:

  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. Place ring finger on G string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

10. F → G chord transition

Here's how to move from F 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. Place ring finger on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 6 times.

11. G → Em chord transition

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 section, played 6 times.

12. Em → C chord transition

Here's how 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 2 times.

13. 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 2 times.

14. A → F chord transition

Here's how to move from A to F:

  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.

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

15. Em → Am chord transition

Here's how to move from Em to Am:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

16. Am → G chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to G:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 2 times.

17. Em → A chord transition

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 chorus, played 2 times.

Uptown Girl chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Uptown Girl.

  • Uptown Girl includes 114 chord transitions, 17 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Uptown Girl contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Uptown Girl 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 → Em: 17%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → F: 9%
    • G → Em: 9%
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.