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.

Coldplay - The Scientist Chords

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

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow. Using the Transpose tool, switch to C#,E,F#,B keys to play this song with easier chords.

  • Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram
  • Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
  • Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

[Opening]
[Dm]Come up to [Bb]meet you, tell you I’m [F]sorry
[F]You don’t know how [F]lovely you are.
[Dm]I had to [Bb]find you, tell you I [F]need you,
[F]Tell you I set you a[F]part.

[verse 2]
[Dm]Tell me your [Bb]secrets and nurse me your [F]questions,
[F]Oh lets go [F]back to the start.
[Dm]Running in cir[Bb]cles, comin’ in [F]tails
[F]Heads on a [F]science apart.

[verse 3]
[Bb]Nobody said it was easy, [F]
[F]Oh it’s such a [F]shame for us to part.
[Bb]Nobody said it was easy, [F]
No one ever [F]said it would be this hard. [C]
[C]Oh take me back to the [F]start.

[verse 4]
[Bb] [F] [F] [F]
[Dm]I was just [Bb]guessin’ at numbers and fi[F]gures,
[F]Pulling the [F]puzzles apart.
[Dm]Questions of sci[Bb]ence, science and pro[F]gress
[F]Don’t speak as [F]loud as my heart.

[verse 5]
[Dm]And tell me you [Bb]love me, come back and [F]haunt me
Oh and I [F]rush to the start.
[Dm]Runnin’ in cir[Bb]cles, Chasin’ [F]tails
[F]Comin’ back as [F]we are

[verse 6]
[Bb]Nobody said it was easy, [F]
[F]Oh it’s such a [F]shame for us to part.
[Bb]Nobody said it was easy, [F]
No one ever [F]said it would be so hard. [C]
[C]I’m going back to [F]the start.

[Closing]
[Bb] [F] [F] [F] [Dm] [Bb] [F] [F]
[Dm]Ohh [Bb]hh oooooo [F] [F]
[Dm]Ohh [Bb]hh oooooo [F] [F]
[Dm]Ohh [Bb]hh oooooo [F] [F]
[Dm]Ohh [Bb]hh oooooo [F]

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.
ArtistColdplay
AlbumA Rush of Blood to the Head
GenresAlternative, Indie
Year2002
KeyDm
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play The Scientist on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Coldplay - The Scientist on guitar requires 4 chords and 4 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.

The Scientist uses these transitions most often: Bb → F (19), Dm → Bb (13), and F → Dm (12). 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 - Bb chord transition.

1. Dm → Bb chord transition

Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm 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 Dm to Bb;

  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 D string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on B string fret 3.
Dm to Bb

2. Bb → F chord transition

Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: x-1-3-3-3-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram

To move from Bb to F;

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

3. F → Dm chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar Dm chord diagram Fingering: x-x-0-2-3-1Guitar Dm chord diagram

To move from F to Dm;

  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 E string fret 1.
  3. Keep middle finger on G string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to B string fret 3.
F to Dm

4. F → C chord transition

Guitar F chord diagram Fingering: 1-3-3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Guitar F chord diagram
Guitar C chord diagram Fingering: x-3-2-0-1-0Guitar C chord diagram

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.
F to C

The Scientist chord transition analysis

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

  • The Scientist includes 54 chord transitions, 4 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • The Scientist contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how The Scientist 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 → Dm: 5%
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → F: 34%
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.