Song chords
Perfect chords
Ed Sheeran
A 6/8 wedding-first-dance ballad recorded in Ab, which is why every chart puts a capo at the first fret and plays it in G. The progression is I–vi–IV–V and never leaves.
Before you start
The chords you need.
4 shapes covers the whole song, fretted with the capo at fret 1. Tap any diagram’s play button to hear it, or open its page for every voicing on six instruments.
The chart
Section by section.
Capo 1 with G shapes gives the recorded key of Ab. Verse and chorus both run G–Em–C–D; the bridge rotates to start on the Em. Hit play on any section to hear it walk through at 63 bpm.
Verse
4 barsShapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Chorus
4 barsShapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Bridge
4 barsOpens on the vi, which is what makes the last chorus feel like a release.
Shapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Need it in a different key, or without the capo? Run it through the transposer — move every chord by the same interval and the song is unchanged.
Playing it
What actually trips people up.
It is in 6/8. Arpeggiate down through each chord rather than strumming — the record is fingerpicked and it does not survive a four-to-the-floor strum.
The chart above is the commonly played arrangement — the version a competent player would hand you, not a bar-for-bar transcription of a specific master. Section labels are there to orient you; live and studio versions repeat, extend and drop sections freely, and none of that changes which chords you need.
About this page
Chord names and song structure are facts; for lyrics and official notation, support the artist. This page carries no lyrics on purpose — Perfect was written and recorded by Ed Sheeran, and the words belong to them. What you get here is the harmony: the key, the capo, the tempo, and which chord goes where.
Next
Songs that sit near this one.
FAQ
Questions people actually ask.
What key is Perfect in?
Perfect sounds in Ab Major. The common arrangement gets there with a capo at fret 1 and G Major shapes, which is why the chords written here are G Major chords rather than Ab Major ones.
Do I need a capo for Perfect?
Yes for the standard arrangement: capo 1. Without it you would be playing Ab Major shapes, which needs barre chords. With the capo on, the shapes are G Major — much friendlier under the hand.
What chords are in Perfect?
G, Em, C and D — 4 chords across 3 sections. Capo 1 with G shapes gives the recorded key of Ab. Verse and chorus both run G–Em–C–D; the bridge rotates to start on the Em.
What is the easiest way to play Perfect?
Beginner overall. It is in 6/8. Arpeggiate down through each chord rather than strumming — the record is fingerpicked and it does not survive a four-to-the-floor strum.
How fast is Perfect?
About 63 bpm. Every section on this page plays back at that tempo, so you can hear how long each chord is meant to be held before you try it yourself.
Can I play Perfect in a different key?
Yes — the progression is the song, not the letters. Move every chord by the same number of semitones and it still works. The transposer will do the arithmetic, or you can move the capo and keep these shapes.