Mike Nesmith - Rio Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar D chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar Am7 chord diagram
Guitar B7 chord diagram
Guitar Em7 chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram
Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar F#m | G♭m chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram
[Opening]
[D]I’m hearing the light from the [Bb]window
I’m [D]seeing the sound of the [Am7]sea
My [D]feet have come loose from their [B7]moorings
I’m [Em7]feeling quite wonderfully [A7]free
[chorus]
And I [G]think I will travel to [Gm]Rio
[D]Using the [F#m]music for [B7]flight
There’s [Em7]nothing I know of in [Gm]Rio
But it’s [A]something to [F#m]do with the [D]night
[chorus]
It’s [G]only a whimsical [Gm]notion
To [D]fly down to [F#m]Rio to[B7]night
And I [Em7]probably won’t fly down to [Gm]Rio
[A]But then a[F#m]gain I just [D]might
[verse 2]
There’s [D]wings to the thought behind [Bb]fancy
There’s [D]wings to the thought behind [Am7]play
And [D]dancing to rhythms of [B7]laughter
Makes [Em7]laughter the rhythm of [A7]rain
[chorus]
And I [G]think I will travel to [Gm]Rio
[D]Using the [F#m]music for [B7]flight
There’s [Em7]nothing I know of in [Gm]Rio
But it’s [A]something to [F#m]do with the [D]night
[chorus]
It’s [G]only a whimsical [Gm]notion
To [D]fly down to [F#m]Rio to[B7]night
And I [Em7]probably won’t fly down to [Gm]Rio
[A]But then a[F#m]gain I just [D]might
[Closing]
I [D]feel such a sense of well [Bb]being
The [D]problems have come to be [Am7]solved
[D]And what I thought was proper for [B7]battle
I [Em7]see now is proper for [A7]love
[chorus]
And I [G]think I will travel to [Gm]Rio
[D]Using the [F#m]music for [B7]flight
There’s [Em7]nothing I know of in [Gm]Rio
But it’s [A]something to [F#m]do with the [D]night
[chorus]
It’s [G]only a whimsical [Gm]notion
To [D]fly down to [F#m]Rio to[B7]night
And I [Em7]probably won’t fly down to [Gm]Rio
[A]But then a[F#m]gain I just [D]might
How to play Rio on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Mike Nesmith - Rio on guitar requires 10 chords and 14 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.
Rio uses these transitions most often: B7 → Em7 (9), A → F#m (6), and D → F#m (6). 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 - Bb chord transition.
1. D → Bb chord transition
To move from D to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
2. D → Am7 chord transition
To move from D to Am7;
- While playing D, lift your ring finger from B string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
3. D → B7 chord transition
To move from D to B7;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to A string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Place pinky on E string fret 2.
4. B7 → Em7 chord transition
To move from B7 to Em7;
- While playing B7, first lift your index finger, ring finger, and pinky.
- Keep middle finger on A string fret 2.
5. Em7 → A7 chord transition
To move from Em7 to A7;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 2.
- Place index finger on D string fret 2.
6. A7 → G chord transition
To move from A7 to G;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from B string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Place ring finger on E string fret 3.
7. G → Gm chord transition
To move from G to Gm;
- Slide your index finger on A string from fret 2 to fret 1.
- Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
- Slide your ring finger from E string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
- Place pinky on E string fret 3.
8. Gm → D chord transition
To move from Gm to D;
- While playing Gm, lift your pinky from E string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to E string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on B string fret 3.
9. D → F#m chord transition
To move from D to F#m;
- While playing D, lift your middle finger from E string fret 2.
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from B string fret 3 to A string fret 4.
- Place pinky on D string fret 4.
10. F#m → B7 chord transition
To move from F#m to B7;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your ring finger from A string fret 4 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your pinky from D string fret 4 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Place middle finger on A string fret 2.
11. Em7 → Gm chord transition
To move from Em7 to Gm;
- Lift your middle finger from A string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 3.
- Place index finger on A string fret 1.
- Place ring finger on B string fret 3.
- Place pinky on E string fret 3.
12. Gm → A chord transition
To move from Gm to A;
- While playing Gm, lift your pinky from E string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger on B string from fret 3 to fret 2.
13. A → F#m chord transition
To move from A to F#m;
- While playing A, lift your middle finger from G string fret 2.
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from B string fret 2 to A string fret 4.
- Place pinky on D string fret 4.
14. D → G chord transition
To move from D to G;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
Rio chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Rio.
- Rio includes 81 chord transitions, 14 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- Rio contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Rio connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After D, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (29%), A (17%), and Em (17%).
- D → G: 29%
- D → F#m: 2%
After Gm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (15%), F (12%), and Dm (10%).- Gm → D: 7%
- Gm → A: 4%