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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.

Peter, Paul and Mary - Puff the Magic Dragon Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsC, Em, F, Am, D7, G7, Am7
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 Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
  • Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram
  • Ukulele Am chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-0-0Ukulele Am 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 Am7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-0Ukulele Am7 chord diagram

[Opening]
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea,
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]land called Honah [G7]Lee,
[C]Little Jackie [Em]Paper [F]loved that rascal [C]Puff,
And [F]bought him strings and [C]sealing [Am]wax and
[D7]Other [G7]fancy [C]stuff. [G7]Oh!

[chorus]
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called Honah[G7]Lee,
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called [G7]Honah [C]Lee.

[section 2]
[C]Together they would [Em]travel on a [F]boat with billowed [C]sail,
[F]Jackie kept a [C]look out [Am7]perched on [D7]Puff’s gigantic [G7]tail,
[C]Noble kings and [Em]princes would [F]bow when e’re they [C]came,
[F]Pirate ships would [C]low’r their [Am7]flag when
[D7]Puff roared [G7]out his [C]name. [G7]Oh!

[chorus]
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called Honah [G7]Lee,
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called [G7]Honah [C]Lee.

[section 3]
[C]A Dragon Lives for [Em]ever but [F]not so little [C]boys.
[F]Painted wings and [C]giant [Am7]rings make [D7]way for other [G7]toys,
[C]One grey night it [Em]happened, Jackie [F]Paper came no [C]more. And
[F]Puff that mighty [C]dragon, [Am7]he
[D7]Ceased his [G7]fearless [C]roar. [G7]

[Closing]
His [C]head was bent in [Em]sorrow green [F]scales fell like [C]rain,
[F]Puff no longer [C]went to [Am7]play [D7]along the cherry [G7]lane
With-[C]out his lifelong [Em]friend [F]Puff could not be [C]brave. So
[F]Puff that mighty [C]dragon [Am7]sadly [D7]slipped in [G7]to his [C]cave. [G7]Oh!

[chorus]
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called Honah [G7]Lee,
[C]Puff the magic [Em]dragon [F]lived by the [C]sea
And [F]frolicked in the [C]autumn [Am]mist in a [D7]Land called [G7]Honah [C]Lee.

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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.
ArtistPeter, Paul and Mary
AlbumMoving
GenresFolk, Pop
Year1962
KeyC

How to play Puff the Magic Dragon on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Peter, Paul and Mary - Puff the Magic Dragon on ukulele requires 7 chords and 9 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.

Puff the Magic Dragon uses these transitions most often: F → C (28), G7 → C (18), and C → Em (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 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.
C to Em

2. Em → F chord transition

Ukulele Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-4-3-2Ukulele Em chord diagram
Ukulele F chord diagram Fingering: 2-0-1-0Ukulele F chord diagram

To move from Em to F;

  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 E string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
Em to F

3. 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.
F to C

4. C → Am chord transition

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

To move from C to Am;

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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. 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.

8. C → Am7 chord transition

To move from C to Am7;

  1. While playing C, lift your ring finger from A string fret 3.

9. 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.

Puff the Magic Dragon chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Puff the Magic Dragon.

  • Puff the Magic Dragon includes 134 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.04% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • Puff the Magic Dragon contains 2 of the top 10 transitions across Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Puff the Magic Dragon 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 → Am: 10%
    After F, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
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.