Ed Sheeran - Shape Of You - Guitar Cover

÷ (Deluxe)

2017 3:54

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About Shape Of You

The hook that drives "Shape Of You" is not a guitar riff in the traditional sense. It is a marimba-like melodic loop, and when guitarists cover it they typically recreate that line on the upper strings, keeping the tone clean and percussive to preserve the dancehall feel. The track sits in C# minor at 96 BPM, a moderate tempo that feels relaxed until you try to lock in the groove with both melody and a thumb-driven bass pulse at the same time. That two-hand coordination is genuinely the hardest part of most fingerstyle arrangements. Ed Sheeran is well known for looping live, so fuller solo arrangements often layer a bass ostinato under the melody, which is well worth attempting. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop the opening figure slowed down until the right-hand pattern becomes automatic before you bring it back up to tempo. The Pop Rock setting here leans rhythmically toward R&B, so a behind-the-beat feel on the chord stabs rewards players who resist rushing.

• The signature melodic hook is most faithfully voiced on the high strings with a clean, percussive tone to mimic the original marimba-style sound.
• Fingerstyle arrangements require coordinating a repeating bass note with the melody line, making right-hand independence the core technical challenge.
• At 96 BPM in C# minor, the tempo is approachable, but holding a relaxed, slightly behind-the-beat groove on the chord stabs takes deliberate practice.