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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.

Carpenters - Yesterday Once More Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Em, Am, F, Dm, G, Bm, G7, G#, Cm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

WhenIwasCyoungI’dlistenedtotheEmradio
Waitin’AmformyfavoriteFsongs
WhentheyCplayedI’dEmsingalong
ItmademeDmsmileG
ThoseweresuchChappytimes
AndnotsoEmlongago
HowIAmwonderedwherethey’dFgone
BmButthey’reAmbackagain
JustlikeaClonglostfriend
AlltheFsongsIlovedsoGwell
G7EveryCSha-la-la-la,everyAmWo-wo-wo
StillCshinesAm
EveryCshing-a-ling-a-ling,thatthey’reAmstartingtosing
SoDmfineG
WhentheyAmgettothepartwherehe’sG#breakin’herheart
ItcanCreallymakemeCmcry
Justlike Cbe-foreG
It’syesterdayonceCmoreDmCF
Lookin’Cbackonhowitwas
In Emyearsgoneby
AndtheAmgoodtimesthatIFhad
Makes Fto-dayseemratherEmsad
SomuchhasDmchangedG
ItwasCsongsoflovethatIwouldEmsingtothen
AndI’dAmmemorizeeachFword
BmThoseoldAmmelodies
StillsoundsoAmgoodtome
AstheyFmelttheyearsGaway
G7EveryCSha-la-la-la,everyAmWo-wo-wo
StillCshinesAm
EveryCshing-a-ling-a-ling,thatthey’reAmstartingtosing
SoDmfineG
AllmyAmbestmemoriescomebackG#clearlytome
SomecanCevenmakemeFcry
Justlike Cbe-foreG
It’syesterdayonceCmore
G7EveryCSha-la-la-la,everyAmWo-wo-wo
StillCshinesAm
EveryCshing-a-ling-a-ling,thatthey’reAmstartingtosing
SoDmfineG
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.
ArtistThe Carpenters
AlbumNow & Then
GenresPop
Year1973
KeyC
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Yesterday Once on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

The Carpenters - Yesterday Once on ukulele requires 10 chords and 20 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.

Yesterday Once uses these transitions most often: C → Am (9), Am → C (7), and Am → F (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 C - Em chord transition.

1. C → Em chord transition

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

To move 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.

C to Em

2. Em → Am chord transition

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

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 section, played 4 times.

Em to Am

3. Am → F chord transition

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

Here's how to move from Am to F:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 5 times.

Am to F

4. 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

To move 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 3 times.

F to C

5. Em → Dm chord transition

To move from Em to Dm:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger on C string from fret 4 to fret 2.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

6. Dm → G chord transition

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 5 times.

7. 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, played 4 times.

8. F → Bm chord transition

To move from F to Bm:

  1. While playing F, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on G string fret 4.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

9. Bm → Am chord transition

To move from Bm to Am:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

10. Am → C chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to C:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 7 times.

11. F → G chord transition

Switching 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 2 times.

12. G → G7 chord transition

To move 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 chorus, played 2 times.

13. G7 → C chord transition

Here's how 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 chorus, played 3 times.

14. Am → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to Dm:

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

This transition appears in the chorus, played 3 times.

15. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am:

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

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

16. Am → G# chord transition

To move from Am to G#:

  1. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 3.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 1.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 4.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

17. G# → C chord transition

To move from G# to C:

  1. While playing G#, first lift your index finger, middle finger, and pinky.
  2. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the section, played 2 times.

18. C → Cm chord transition

Switching from C to Cm:

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

This transition appears in the section.

19. C → Dm chord transition

Here's how 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.

20. F → Em chord transition

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.

Yesterday Once chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Yesterday Once.

  • Yesterday Once includes 75 chord transitions, 20 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Yesterday Once contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Yesterday Once connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After C, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → F: 16%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → F: 26%
    • Am → C: 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.