Wonderful Tonight

How to play Wonderful Tonight by Eric Clapton on guitar

Wonderful Tonight is a smooth, relaxed song that feels great once you settle into its gentle flow. You get to focus on clean changes and a steady pulse, so it is a good one for building control without feeling rushed.

Most of the shapes are open, which keeps the left hand comfortable, but you will also need to handle the barre shapes F#m and Bm. The main thing to watch is the move between the open chords and those harder grips, especially when the progression returns to G after D and C.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly until the changes feel even. Then add the barre shapes one at a time, keeping your hand relaxed and your timing steady, and only speed up when every transition sounds 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.