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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.

Ella Fitzgerald - It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsAm, G, F, F7, E7, E, Am7, D7, G7, C, Gm7, C7, Fmaj7
Strumming↓-↓-↓-↓↑

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

  • Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am chord diagram
  • Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
  • Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
  • Ukulele F7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-1-3Ukulele F7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram
  • Ukulele Am7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-0Ukulele Am7 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
  • Ukulele C chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-3Ukulele C chord diagram
  • Ukulele Gm7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele Gm7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele Fmaj7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-4-1-3Ukulele Fmaj7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[Am]What good is [G]melody, [F]what good is [F7]mu[E7]sic
[Am]If it ain’t [G]possessin’ [F]something [F7]sweet? [E7]
[Am]It ain’t the [G]melody, [F]it ain’t the [F7]mu[E7]sic
There’s [Am]something else
that [G]makes the [F]tune com[F7]plete. [E7]

[section 2]
It [Am]don’t mean a [E]thing,
if it [Am7]ain’t got that [Am]swing
[D7]Doo wat doo wat, [G7]doo wat doo wat,
[C]doo wat doo wat. [F7] [E7]
It [Am]don’t mean a [E]thing,
all you [Am7]got to do is [Am]sing
[D7]Doo wat doo wat, [G7]doo wat doo wat,
[C]doo wat doo wat, doo wat doo wat.

[section 3]
[Gm7]It makes no [C7]diff’rence
if that [Fmaj7]rhythm’s sweet or hot,
[Am7]Just give that [D7]rhythm
[G7]ev’rything you [F7]got. [E7]

[section 4]
It [Am]don’t mean a [E]thing,
[F]if it [Am7]ain’t got that [Am]swing
[D7]Doo wat doo wat, [G7]doo wat doo wat,
[C]doo wat doo wat, [C]doo wat doo wat,

[Closing]
[D7]Doo wat doo wat, [F]doo wat doo wat,
doo[C]waaaa.

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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.
ArtistElla Fitzgerald
AlbumElla and Duke at the Cote D'Azur
GenresJazz
Year1967
KeyAm

How to play It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Ella Fitzgerald - It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing on ukulele requires 13 chords and 23 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.

It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing uses these transitions most often: E7 → Am (6), F7 → E7 (6), and Am → G (4). 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 Am - G chord transition.

1. Am → G chord transition

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

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.
Am to G

2. G → F chord transition

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

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.
G to F

3. F → F7 chord transition

Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
Ukulele F7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-1-3Ukulele F7 chord diagram

To move from F to F7;

  1. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on A string fret 3.
F to F7

4. F7 → E7 chord transition

Ukulele F7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-1-3Ukulele F7 chord diagram
Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram

To move from F7 to E7;

  1. While playing F7, lift your pinky from A string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  4. Lift your ring finger from C string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
F7 to E7

5. E7 → Am chord transition

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.

6. Am → E chord transition

To move from Am to E;

  1. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Place index finger on G string fret 4.

7. E → Am7 chord transition

To move from E to Am7;

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

8. Am7 → Am chord transition

To move from Am7 to Am;

  1. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

9. Am → D7 chord transition

To move from Am to D7;

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

12. C → F7 chord transition

To move from C to F7;

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

13. C → Gm7 chord transition

To move from C to Gm7;

  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 C string fret 2.

14. Gm7 → C7 chord transition

To move from Gm7 to C7;

  1. While playing Gm7, lift your middle finger from C string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.

15. C7 → Fmaj7 chord transition

To move from C7 to Fmaj7;

  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.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on C string fret 4.

16. Fmaj7 → Am7 chord transition

To move from Fmaj7 to Am7;

  1. While playing Fmaj7, first lift your index finger, middle finger, ring finger, and pinky.

17. Am7 → D7 chord transition

To move from Am7 to D7;

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

18. G7 → F7 chord transition

To move from G7 to F7;

  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 3.
  4. Place pinky on A string fret 3.

19. E → F chord transition

To move from E to F;

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

20. F → Am7 chord transition

To move from F to Am7;

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

21. C → D7 chord transition

To move from C to D7;

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

22. D7 → F chord transition

To move from D7 to F;

  1. While playing D7, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.

23. F → C chord transition

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.

It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing.

  • It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing includes 54 chord transitions, 23 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing contains 3 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how It Don't Mean A Thing If It Ain't Got That Swing connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → G: 21%
    • Am → D7: 2%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → F7: 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.