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Katy Perry - Pearl Chords

ChordsAm, Dm, G, F, Em, C
Strumming↓-↓↓↑

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

  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram


[Am]She is a pyramid, [Dm]but with him she’s just a grain of sand
[G]This love’s too strong like mice and men
Squeezing [Am]out the life that should be let in


She was a [Am]hurricane, but [Dm]now she’s just a gust of wind
She used to [G]set the sails of a thousand ships
Was a [Am]force to be reckoned with


[F]She could [G]be a statue [Em]of liberty, she could [F]be a Joan of Arc
[F]But he’s [G]scared of the light that’s [Em]inside of her
So he [F]keeps her in the [C]dark


[C]Oh, she [G]used to be a [Am] [F]Pearl, ohh
[C]Yeah, she [G]used to rule the [Am] [F]world, ohh
[C]Can’t [G]believe she’s [Am]become a [F]shell of herself
[C]’Cause she [G]used to be a [Am]pearl


She was [Am]unstoppable, moved [Dm]fast just like an avalanche
But [G]now she’s stuck deep in cement
[Am]Wishing that they’d never ever met


[F]She could [G]be a statue [Em]of liberty
She could [F]be a Joan of Arc
[F]But he’s [G]scared of the light that’s [Em]inside of her
So he [F]keeps her in the [C]dark


[C]Oh, she [G]used to be a [Am] [F]Pearl… Ohh
[C]Yeah, she [G]used to rule the [Am] [F]world… Ohh
[C]Can’t [G]believe she’s [Am]become a [F]shell of herself
[C]’Cause she [G]used to be a [Am]


[Am]Do you know that, there’s [Em]a way out,
There’s [F]a way out, there’s [F]a way out
[G]There’s a way out


[Am]You don’t have to be [Em]held down,
[F]Be held down, [F]be held down, [G]be held down


[C]’Cause I [G]used to be a [Am] [F]shell
[C]Yeah, I [G]let him rule my [Am]world
[F]My world, ohh, yeah


[C]But I [G]woke up and [Am]grew strong
And [F]I can still go [C]on
And [G]no one can take [Am]my [F]pearl


[C]You don’t [G]have to be [Am] [F]shell, No
[C]You’re the [G]one that rules your [Am] [F]world, ohh
[C]You are [G]strong and [Am]you’ll learn
That [F]you can still go [C]on, and you’ll [G]always be a [F]pearl
She is [Am]unstoppable

AlbumTeenage Dream
GenresPop
Year2010
KeyAm
DifficultyIntermediate

How to play Pearl on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Katy Perry - Pearl on guitar requires 6 chords and 10 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.

Pearl uses these transitions most often: G → Am (19), C → G (16), and Am → F (15). 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 - Dm chord transition.

1. Am → Dm chord transition

To move from Am to Dm;

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
Am to Dm

2. Dm → G chord transition

To move from Dm to G;

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

3. G → Am chord transition

To move from G to Am;

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

4. Am → F chord transition

To move from Am to F;

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

5. F → G chord transition

To move from F to G;

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

6. G → Em chord transition

To move from G to Em;

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

7. Em → F chord transition

To move from Em to F;

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

8. F → C chord transition

To move from F to C;

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

9. C → G chord transition

To move from C to G;

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

10. Am → Em chord transition

To move from Am to Em;

  1. While playing Am, lift your index finger from B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 2.

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

  • Pearl includes 92 chord transitions, 10 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.02% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Pearl contains 5 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Pearl connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After F, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (40%), G (21%), and Am (11%).
    • F → C: 40%
    • F → G: 21%
    After G, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (25%), D (24%), and Am (13%).
    • G → C: 25%
    • G → Am: 13%