Song chords
Stand By Me chords
Ben E. King
The 50s doo-wop progression at its most famous: I–vi–IV–V, two bars each, unchanged for the whole song. The bass line is the hook, so play the roots deliberately.
Before you start
The chords you need.
4 shapes covers the whole song, fretted with the capo at fret 2. 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 2 with G shapes gives you the recorded key of A. Two bars per chord throughout — verse and chorus use the identical progression. Hit play on any section to hear it walk through at 60 bpm.
Verse
8 barsShapes as fretted with the capo on — the names above are what you grab, not what you hear.
Chorus
8 barsThe same progression — this song has exactly one.
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.
At 60 bpm the temptation is to fill every bar. Don't. Hit the chord on beat one, let it ring, and let the bass line be the melody.
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 — Stand By Me was written and recorded by Ben E. King, 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 Stand By Me in?
Stand By Me sounds in A Major. The common arrangement gets there with a capo at fret 2 and G Major shapes, which is why the chords written here are G Major chords rather than A Major ones.
Do I need a capo for Stand By Me?
Yes for the standard arrangement: capo 2. Without it you would be playing A Major shapes, which needs barre chords. With the capo on, the shapes are G Major — much friendlier under the hand.
What chords are in Stand By Me?
G, Em, C and D — 4 chords across 2 sections. Capo 2 with G shapes gives you the recorded key of A. Two bars per chord throughout — verse and chorus use the identical progression.
What is the easiest way to play Stand By Me?
Beginner overall. At 60 bpm the temptation is to fill every bar. Don't. Hit the chord on beat one, let it ring, and let the bass line be the melody.
How fast is Stand By Me?
About 60 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 Stand By Me 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.