Beautiful Things

How to play Beautiful Things by Benson Boone on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 3 you play D, C, G, Em, Am, E, the shapes the player above shows.

Beautiful Things is a strong beginner pick because the progression feels familiar and emotional, and at about 120 BPM it gives you a steady pace to lock into. You can focus on clean changes and a smooth, singable flow without needing anything flashy.

You’ll start with open shapes on F and G, then move into the harder barre shapes D#, A#, Gm, and Cm. The main thing to watch is the shift between the open F and the barre chords, especially when the progression returns to F after D# and A# - that change can feel abrupt at first.

Practice the opening progression slowly as F - D# - A# - F until the movement feels automatic. Then add the rest of the chart in small sections, keeping your fretting hand relaxed and your changes even. Once the shapes are reliable, bring it up to tempo and aim for smooth transitions over speed.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.