Stand By Me

How to play Stand By Me by Ben E. King on guitar

This is a great beginner song because the groove is steady, the harmony is easy to follow, and you can focus on keeping a calm, confident feel. At about 119 BPM, it sits in a comfortable pocket that helps you build timing without feeling rushed.

You can lean on the open shapes A, Dm, D, and E, while the barre shapes D#m, B, C#m, F#m, and F# ask for more hand strength and cleaner fretting. The main change to watch is the opening move A - D#m - B - A, since it jumps from an open shape into two barre chords and back again.

Start by looping that opening progression slowly until the switches feel smooth, then add the rest of the song one chord at a time. Once your hands know the shapes, bring the tempo up in small steps and keep your strums even so the song stays relaxed and steady.

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.