Skip to song content
Chordier homepage
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?The 100 most repeated chord transitions extracted from thousands of songs. Even the first 10 will transform your guitar practice routine.

Shawn Mendes - Strings Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsEm, C, A, G, Am, D
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

  • 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
  • Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
  • Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram
  • Guitar Am chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-1-0Guitar Am chord diagram
  • Guitar D chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-2Guitar D chord diagram

[Opening]
[Em] [C] [A] [Em]
[Em] All the strings [C]attached girl
[A]All the strings attached girl, [Em]oh yeah

[verse 2]
[Em] [C] [A] [Em]
[Em]Met this girl when I was three years old, we were holding hands tight so I’m told
[C]And it felt like an eternity, said it felt like an eternity
[A]’Cause I knew back then we were more than friends, two sided story it all depends
[Em]And I’ll said it once, and I’ll say it again, it’ll only end up hurting me
[Em]Years flew by I was less than twelve, long division I need your help
[C]Can you come on over and work with me? Anytime you like I’ll make it work for me
[A]’Cause I knew back then if I get you close, when the time is right maybe I’ll propose
[Em]Baby climb on up, show me the ropes

[chorus]
[G] [Am] [Em] [D]
Darling I want [G]all the strings [Am]attached, I love it when you [Em]look at me [D]like that
And you’re the only [G]girl that brings [Am]me back, ’cause baby [Em]I want all the [D]strings attached
It’s like [G]always and [Am]forever, I [Em]won’t let a [D]moment pass
And when [G]I’m with you I [Am]feel better, I [Em]want all the [D]strings, all the strings attached
[Em] All the strings [C]attached girl, [Am]all the strings attached girl, [Em]oh yeah

[verse 3]
[Em] [C] [A] [Em]
[Em]So come on girl let me hold your hand, let’s go get lost, live without a plan
[C]And I know you’ve got the world to see, but you know you mean the world to me
[A]And I know right now you got second thoughts, do whatever it takes, pay whatever the cost [Em]yeah
[Em]You know me, not the type of guy, to stick around, to do the time
[C]But you must have me hypnotized, I’m [A]ddown to be by your side, [Em]every night

[chorus]
[G] [Am] [Em] [D]
Darling I want [G]all the strings [Am]attached, I love it when you [Em]look at me [D]like that
And you’re the only [G]girl that brings [Am]me back, ’cause baby [Em]I want all the [D]strings attached
It’s like [G]always and [Am]forever, I [Em]won’t let a [D]moment pass
And when [G]I’m with you I [Am]feel better, I [Em]want all the [D]strings, all the strings attached

[verse 4]
[Am] [Em] [D] [G]
And baby [Am]when you [Em]fall down, [D]I fall [G]too
And [Am]if you get [Em]lost, then I’ll [D]get lost with [G]you
And when [Am]the waves crash [Em]down, then baby [D]I [G]won’t move
[C]’Cause [D]I need

[chorus]
[G] [Am] [Em] [D]
Darling I want [G]all the strings [Am]attached, I love it when you [Em]look at me [D]like that
And you’re the only [G]girl that brings [Am]me back, ’cause baby [Em]I want all the [D]strings attached
It’s like [G]always and [Am]forever, I [Em]won’t let a [D]moment pass
And when [G]I’m with you I [Am]feel better,
I [Em]want all the strings, [D]all the strings attached,
I [Em]want all the strings, [D]all the strings attached

[Closing]
[Em]All the strings [C]attached girl, [Am]all the strings attached [Em]girl, oh yeah

SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on guitar.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master guitar today with the most repeated high-impact chord transitions.
ArtistShawn Mendes
AlbumHandwritten
GenresPop
Year2015
KeyEm
DifficultyEasy

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

Shawn Mendes - Strings on guitar requires 6 chords and 12 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.

Strings uses these transitions most often: Am → Em (21), Em → D (20), and G → Am (18). 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 Em - C chord transition.

1. Em → C chord transition

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

To move from Em to C;

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

2. C → A chord transition

Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram
Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram

To move from C to A;

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

3. A → Em chord transition

Guitar A chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-2-2-0Guitar A chord diagram
Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram

To move from A to Em;

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

4. Em → G chord transition

Guitar Em chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-2-0-0-0Guitar Em chord diagram
Guitar G chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-0-0-0-3Guitar G chord diagram

To move from Em to G;

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

5. 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.

6. 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.

7. Em → D chord transition

To move from Em to D;

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

8. D → G chord transition

To move from D to G;

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

9. C → Am chord transition

To move from C to Am;

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

10. D → Am chord transition

To move from D to Am;

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

11. G → C chord transition

To move from G to C;

  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 A string fret 3.

12. C → D chord transition

To move from C to D;

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

Strings chord transition analysis

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

  • Strings includes 112 chord transitions, 12 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Strings contains 6 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Strings connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Em, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (26%), G (18%), and D (18%).
    • Em → C: 26%
    • Em → G: 18%
    After Am, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (26%), G (21%), and C (16%).
    • Am → Em: 10%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains from real songs. See which songs use each chain and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.