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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.

Johnny Cash - My Grandfather’s Clock Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsD, A7, G, E7, B7, Em, E, A, F#7, C#7, F#m
Strumming↓-↓↑

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

  • Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
  • Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele G chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-3-2Ukulele G chord diagram
  • Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele B7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-2-2 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele B7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
  • Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram
  • Ukulele A chord diagram Fingering: 2-1-0-0Ukulele A chord diagram
  • Ukulele F#7 | G♭7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-4-2-4Ukulele F#7 | G♭7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele C#7 | D♭7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-1-1-2 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele C#7 | D♭7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele F#m | G♭m chord diagram Fingering: 2-1-2-0Ukulele F#m | G♭m chord diagram

[Opening]
[D]Tick, [D]Tock, [D]Tick, [D]Tock, [D]Tick, [D]Tock, [D]Tick, [D]Tock

[section 2]
[D]My grandfather’s [A7]clock was too [D]large for the [G]shelf
So it [D]stood ninety [A7]years on the [D]floor
It was taller by [A7]half, than the [D]old man him[G]self
Though it [D]weighed not a [A7]penny-weight [D]more.
It was [D]bought on the morn of the [G]day that he was [D]born
And was [D]always his [E7]treasure and [A7]pride
But it [D]stopped [A7]short [D]never to [B7]go a[Em]gain
When the [D]old [A7]man [D]died.

[section 3]
My [D]grandfather [A7]said that of [D]those he could hire
Not a [D]servant so faith[A7]ful he [D]found
For it wasted no [A7]time and had [D]but one de[G]sire
At the [D]close of each [A7]week to be [D]wound
And it kept in its’ place not a [G]frown upon its’ [D]face
And its’ hands never [E7]hung by its [A7]side
But it [D]stopped [A7]short [D]never to [B7]go a[Em]gain
When the [D]old [A7]man [D]died.

[section 4]
For it [D]struck twenty four when he [G]enter’d at the [D]door
With a [D]blooming and [E7]beau[A7]tiful bride
But it [D]stopped [A7]short [D]never to [B7]go a[Em]gain
When the [D]old [A7]man [D]died.

[section 5]
It [E]rang an a[B7]larm in the [E]dead of the [A]night
An a[E]larm that for [B7]years had been [E]dumb
And we knew that his [B7]spirit was [E]pluming for [A]flight,
That his [E]hour for de[B7]parture had [E]come.

[section 6]
Still the [E]clock kept the [E]time, with its’ [A]soft and muffled [E]chimes
As we [E]proudly [F#7]stood by his [B7]side
But it [E]stopped [B7]short [E]never to [C#7]go a[F#m]gain
When the [E]old [B7]man [E]died.

[Closing]
[E]Ninety years without slumbering, [E](Dah dah dah dah, dah dah dah!)
[E]His life seconds numbering, [E](Dah dah dah dah, dah dah dah!)
It [E]stopped [B7]short [E]never to [C#7]go a[F#m]gain
When the [E]old [B7]man [E]died.
When the [E]old [B7]man [E]died.

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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 Cash
AlbumSongs of Our Soil. Evelyn Knight
GenresBlues, Country, Rockabilly
Year1959
KeyD

How to play My Grandfather's Clock on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Johnny Cash - My Grandfather's Clock on ukulele requires 11 chords and 15 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.

My Grandfather's Clock uses these transitions most often: A7 → D (17), D → A7 (14), and B7 → E (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 D - A7 chord transition.

1. D → A7 chord transition

Ukulele D chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-0Ukulele D chord diagram
Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram

To move from D to A7;

  1. While playing D, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 1.
D to A7

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.
D to G

3. D → E7 chord transition

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

To move from D to E7;

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

4. E7 → A7 chord transition

Ukulele E7 chord diagram Fingering: 1-2-0-2Ukulele E7 chord diagram
Ukulele A7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-1-0-0Ukulele A7 chord diagram

To move from E7 to A7;

  1. While playing E7, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on C string fret 1.
E7 to A7

5. D → B7 chord transition

To move from D to B7;

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

6. B7 → Em chord transition

To move from B7 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 3 to E string fret 3.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 4.

7. Em → D chord transition

To move from Em to D;

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

8. D → E chord transition

To move from D to E;

  1. While playing D, lift your ring finger from E string fret 2.
  2. Slide your index finger on G string from fret 2 to fret 4.
  3. Slide your middle finger from C string fret 2 to A string fret 2.

9. E → B7 chord transition

To move from E to B7;

  1. Slide your index finger on G string from fret 4 to fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 3.

10. E → A chord transition

To move from E to A;

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

11. E → F#7 chord transition

To move from E to F#7;

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

12. F#7 → B7 chord transition

To move from F#7 to B7;

  1. While playing F#7, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 3 to C string fret 3.

13. E → C#7 chord transition

To move from E to C#7;

  1. Slide your index finger on G string from fret 4 to fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.

14. C#7 → F#m chord transition

To move from C#7 to F#m;

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

15. F#m → E chord transition

To move from F#m to E;

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

My Grandfather's Clock chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in My Grandfather's Clock.

  • My Grandfather's Clock includes 92 chord transitions, 15 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • My Grandfather's Clock contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how My Grandfather's Clock 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 (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
    • D → G: 29%
    • D → E: 3%
    After E, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are A (25%), D (14%), and B (11%).
    • E → A: 25%
    • E → B7: 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.