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George Gershwin - Summertime Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on guitar and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsDm, A7, Gm, Gm7, Bb, E7, F
Strumming↓-↓↑-↑↓↑

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

[Opening]
[Dm] [A7] [Dm] [A7] [Dm] [A7] [Dm]
Summer [Dm]time [A7] [Dm]
And the [A7]livin’ is [Dm]easy [A7] [Dm]
Fish are [Gm]jumpin’ [Gm7] [Bb]
And the cotton is [E7]high
Oh, your daddy’s [Dm]rich [A7] [Dm]
And your [A7]ma is good [Dm]lookin’ [A7] [Dm]
So [F]hush, little [Dm]baby; [Gm]don’t [Bb]you [Dm]cry [A7] [Dm]

[chorus]
One of these [Dm]mornings [A7] [Dm]
You’re gonna [A7]rise up [Dm]singing [A7] [Dm]
Then you’ll [Gm]spread your wings [Gm7] [Bb]
And you’ll take to the [E7]sky
But ’til that [Dm]morning [A7] [Dm]
There ain’t [A7]nothin’ can [Dm]harm you [A7] [Dm]
With [F]daddy and [Dm]mammy [Gm]stand [Bb]in’ [Dm]by [A7] [Dm]

[Closing]
Summer [Dm]time [A7] [Dm]
And the [A7]livin’ is [Dm]easy [A7] [Dm]
Fish are [Gm]jumpin’ [Gm7] [Bb]
And the cotton is [E7]high
Oh, your daddy’s [Dm]rich [A7] [Dm]
And your [A7]ma is good [Dm]lookin’ [A7] [Dm]
So [F]hush, little [Dm]baby; [Gm]don’t [Bb]you [Dm]cry [A7] [Dm]

[chorus]
One of these [Dm]mornings [A7] [Dm]
You’re gonna [A7]rise up [Dm]singing [A7] [Dm]
Then you’ll [Gm]spread your wings [Gm7] [Bb]
And you’ll take to the [E7]sky
But ’til that [Dm]morning [A7] [Dm]
There ain’t [A7]nothin’ can [Dm]harm you [A7] [Dm]
With [F]daddy and [Dm]mammy [Gm]stand [Bb]in’ [Dm]by [A7] [Dm]

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.
ArtistGeorge Gershwin
AlbumSingle
GenresJazz
Year1938
KeyDm
DifficultyAdvanced

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

George Gershwin - Summertime on guitar 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.

Summertime uses these transitions most often: A7 → Dm (31), Dm → A7 (31), and Dm → Gm (8). 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 Dm - A7 chord transition.

1. Dm → A7 chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar A7 chord diagram Fingering: x-0-2-0-2-0Guitar A7 chord diagram

To move from Dm to A7;

  1. While playing Dm, lift your ring finger from B string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to B string fret 2.
Dm to A7

2. Dm → Gm chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram

To move from Dm to Gm;

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

3. Gm → Gm7 chord transition

Guitar Gm chord diagram Fingering: 3-1-0-0-3-3Guitar Gm chord diagram
Guitar Gm7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-x-3-3-3-x Barre at fret 3.Guitar Gm7 chord diagram

To move from Gm to Gm7;

  1. While playing Gm, first lift your index finger and pinky.
  2. Keep middle finger on E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.
Gm to Gm7

4. Gm7 → Bb chord transition

Guitar Gm7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-x-3-3-3-x Barre at fret 3.Guitar Gm7 chord diagram
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from Gm7 to Bb;

  1. Lift your middle finger from E string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 3.
  2. Slide your ring finger from D string fret 3 to G string fret 3.
  3. Place index finger on A string fret 1.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.
Gm7 to Bb

5. Bb → E7 chord transition

To move from Bb to E7;

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

6. E7 → Dm chord transition

To move from E7 to Dm;

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

7. Dm → F chord transition

To move from Dm to F;

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

8. Gm → Bb chord transition

To move from Gm to Bb;

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

9. Bb → Dm chord transition

To move from Bb to Dm;

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

Summertime chord transition analysis

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

  • Summertime includes 102 chord transitions, 9 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.03% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Summertime contains 1 of the top 25 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Summertime connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → F: 14%
    • Dm → Gm: 5%
    After A7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are D (41%), D7 (18%), and Dm (13%).
    • A7 → Dm: 13%
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.