Ed Sheeran - Thinking Out Loud Pt.1 - Chords - Guitar Lesson

Lazy Sunday

2014 4:42

Listen on Spotify

About Thinking Out Loud Pt.1 - Chords

At 76 BPM in D major, "Thinking Out Loud" sits in that comfortable mid-tempo pocket that sounds deceptively easy until you try to keep the chord transitions smooth and the strumming feel consistently relaxed. The song is built around a handful of open and barre chords, but the real work is in making those changes feel unhurried and natural rather than mechanical. Ed Sheeran leans heavily on a fingerstyle-influenced strumming approach here, so pay attention to how the pick hand creates a subtle groove rather than a rigid up-down pattern. The D to G to A progression that drives most of the song looks simple on paper, yet landing every change right on the beat without tensing up takes real repetition. If the barre chord shifts are tripping you up, isolate that passage with the Practice Toolbar, loop it slowed down, and gradually push the tempo back up only when each change feels effortless. This is a great study in playing with feel inside a Pop Rock framework.

• The song sits in D major at 76 BPM, giving you enough space to focus on clean chord transitions before building up your strumming groove.
• The chord progression relies on D, G, and A shapes, with barre chord versions adding a fuller sound that is worth learning alongside the open positions.
• Practising the strumming pattern slowed down is key, as the relaxed behind-the-beat feel is harder to nail than the chord shapes themselves.