Song chords
What A Beautiful Name chords
Hillsong Worship
Recorded in D and playable entirely in open position, which is a large part of why it spread as fast as it did. The bridge rotates the same four chords to start on the IV and gains a key change's worth of lift without changing key.
Before you start
The chords you need.
4 shapes covers the whole song. Tap any diagram’s play button to hear it, or open its page for every voicing on six instruments.
The chart
Section by section.
Key of D, no capo: D–A–Bm–G. Bm is the only shape that needs a barre, and a three-string Bm (x244xx) covers it. Hit play on any section to hear it walk through at 68 bpm.
Verse
4 barsChorus
4 barsBridge
4 barsStarts on the IV — the reason the bridge feels like a gear change.
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.
The song lives or dies on the transition into the bridge. Practise G→D→A→Bm as a loop until it is automatic, then add the words back.
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 — What A Beautiful Name was written and recorded by Hillsong Worship, 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 What A Beautiful Name in?
What A Beautiful Name is in D Major, and it is played in that key with no capo — the chords you read here are the chords you hear.
Do I need a capo for What A Beautiful Name?
No. What A Beautiful Name is played open in D Major. A capo will only move it out of the recorded key, which matters if you are playing along with the record.
What chords are in What A Beautiful Name?
D, A, Bm and G — 4 chords across 3 sections. Key of D, no capo: D–A–Bm–G. Bm is the only shape that needs a barre, and a three-string Bm (x244xx) covers it.
What is the easiest way to play What A Beautiful Name?
Beginner overall. The song lives or dies on the transition into the bridge. Practise G→D→A→Bm as a loop until it is automatic, then add the words back.
How fast is What A Beautiful Name?
About 68 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 What A Beautiful Name 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.