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Johnny Mercer - Accentuate the Positive Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, E7, Am, C7, F, Fm7, A7, D7, G7
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

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

  • Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
  • Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
  • Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
  • Ukulele Fm7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-1-3Ukulele Fm7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele D7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-3 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele D7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram

[Opening]
You’ve got to [C]ac[E7]centu[Am]ate the [C7]positive
[F]El[Fm7]imin[C]ate the negative
And [C]latch [E7]on to [Am]the aff[C7]irmative
Don’t [F]mess with [Fm7]Mister In be[C]tween

[section 2]
You’ve got to [C]spread [E7]joy [Am]up to the [C7]maximum
[F]Bring [Fm7]gloom [C]down to the minimum
[C]Have [E7]faith [Am]or pande[C7]monium’s
[F]Liable to [Fm7]walk upon the [C]scene

[chorus]
To illustrate [F] [C]my last remark [F] [C]
[C]Jonah in the [F]whale, Noah in the [C]ark [F] [C]
What did they do [F] [C]
[C]Just when [A7]everything looked so [D7]dark? [G7]

[section 3]
You’ve got to [C]ac[E7]centu [Am]ate the [C7]positive
[F]El [Fm7]imin[C]ate the negative
And [C]latch [E7]on to [Am]the aff[C7]irmative
Don’t [F]mess with [Fm7]Mister In be[C]tween

[chorus]
To illustrate [F] [C]my last remark [F] [C]
[C]Jonah in the [F]whale, Noah in the [C]ark [F] [C]
What did they do [F] [C]
[C]Just when [A7]everything looked so [D7]dark? [G7]

[section 4]
You’ve got to [C]ac[E7]centu[Am]ate the [C7]positive
[F]Elimin[C]ate the negative
And [C]latch [E7]on to [Am]the aff[C7]irmative
Don’t [F]mess with [Fm7]Mister In be [C]tween

[Closing]
No, don’t you [F]mess with [Fm7]Mister In be[C]tween
No, don’t [F]mess with [Fm7]Mister In be[C]tween [Fm7] [C]

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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.
ArtistJohnny Mercer
AlbumAccentuate the Positive
GenresPop
Year1957
KeyC

How to play Accentuate the Positive on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Johnny Mercer - Accentuate the Positive on ukulele requires 9 chords and 11 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.

Accentuate the Positive uses these transitions most often: C → F (12), F → C (11), and Fm7 → C (10). 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 - E7 chord transition.

1. C → E7 chord transition

Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram

To move from C to E7;

  1. Slide your ring finger on A string from fret 3 to fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 1.
  3. Place middle finger on C string fret 2.
C to E7

2. E7 → Am chord transition

Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram
Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram

To move from E7 to Am;

  1. While playing E7, first lift your index finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your middle finger from C string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
E7 to Am

3. Am → C7 chord transition

Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram

To move from Am to C7;

  1. While playing Am, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on A string fret 1.
Am to C7

4. C7 → F chord transition

Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram

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.
C7 to F

5. F → Fm7 chord transition

To move from F to Fm7;

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

6. Fm7 → C chord transition

To move from Fm7 to C;

  1. While playing Fm7, first lift your index finger, middle finger, and pinky.
  2. Lift your ring finger from C string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.

7. C → F chord transition

To move from C to F;

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

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.

9. A7 → D7 chord transition

To move from A7 to D7;

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

10. D7 → G7 chord transition

To move from D7 to G7;

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

11. 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.

Accentuate the Positive chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Accentuate the Positive.

  • Accentuate the Positive includes 83 chord transitions, 11 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Accentuate the Positive contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Accentuate the Positive 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 → F: 16%
    • C → E7: 1%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → Fm7: 0%
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.