Sapphire

How to play Sapphire by Ed Sheeran on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 1 you play C, G, Dm, Am, F, D, the shapes the player above shows.

Sapphire is a bright, beginner-friendly song that feels smooth and steady at about 120 BPM. You get a pop groove that is easy to lock into, and the repeating harmony makes it satisfying to play once it starts to click.

You will be using barre shapes for every chord here, so focus on clean pressure and relaxed fretting hand movement. The main thing to watch is the shift between C# and G#, then into D#m, since that change can make the progression feel less even if your fingers rush.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly: C# - G# - C# - D#m. Once that feels automatic, add the rest of the chord changes in the same calm tempo, then gradually push the speed up until the transitions stay clean.

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.