Benson Boone - Slow It Down - Chord

Key Ab major – F minor Chords Db, Ab, Fm, Ebm, Eb, Bbm, Abm Easy key G (capo 1)

Add to Repertoire

No ratings yet

or your user informations

Capo 0

Db
I'd never met you, but I wanted

To invite you to the party
         Ab
Then you walked in with those green eyes

Never stolen by nobody
         Db
And they flicker to the future

For a moment, I could picture
         Ab
Then you touch me and I come back

And we're talkin' on the staircase
          Db
Bout your big dreams on the big screens
                                          Ab
Out of Georgia, now you're lonely in this city

Lyin' with me

And you're scared it's movin' quickly
               Db
Oh, now you're cryin', you're in pieces
                                          Ab
'Cause the only love you've ever known is Jesus

I can feel it

Oh, I hate that I'm the reason that you're

Fm  Ebm  Ab   Eb    Db
In your head right now
           Fm    Ebm Ab       Db
While your world is  spinnin' out

   Db
So slow it down, take a moment now
          Ab
We're too young to drown

Deep in dirty waters
        Db
Full of hopeless doubt, let me pull you out
       Ab
Let me hold you now

Let me slow it down

         Db
Ain't it funny how it changes

How the future rearranges
      Ab
I get nervous, oh, I'm anxious

Maybe lovin' you is dangerous
        Db
I could lose you like the others
                                     Ab
Only girl that's never left me is my mother

Oh, I love her

And I know you'll probably hate it, but I'm

Fm  Ebm  Ab   Eb    Db
In my  head right now

   Db
So slow it down, take a moment now
          Ab
We're too young to drown

Deep in dirty waters
        Db
Full of hopeless doubt, let me pull you out
       Ab
Let me hold you now

Let me (slow it down)

Db                              Bbm
Slow it down when you're on the ground
           Ab          Abm
And you're cryin', I'm tryin'
                  Db
(Slow it down) To slow it down
            Bbm                    Ab  Eb
When you're spinnin' round in your head

Fm   Ebm  Ab   Eb   Db
Ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh, ooh
     Fm   Ebm  Ab      Db
I'll help you slow it down

End of song Play again?

Benson Boone - Slow It Down Tabs

NotesX

Harmony analysis

Benson Boone – Slow It Down: key and chord analysis

The song opens on Db and ends on Db. Its chords belong to both Ab major and Fm, so every chord below is read both ways.

Major view

Ab major

Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)

Characteristic notes

7 = G (leading tone, pulls home)
4 = Db (the note that leans on the 3rd)

Minor view

F minor

Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)

Characteristic notes

b6 = Db (the minor's melancholy)
b7 = Eb (natural-minor colour)

Which side does the ear lean to?

Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the Ab major side because Ab is heard 17 times against 5 for Fm. That is an interpretation, not a rule — hearing the same chords from F minor is just as valid and teaches you something different.

Chord degrees: major and relative minor

Show the degrees above the chords — relative to Ab or to Fm; comparing both readings is a practice of its own.

Every chord of the key, listed 1 to 7 separately for each key. Chords played in the song show how often they appear; chords from outside the scale sit next to their own degree.

Seen from Ab major
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
I	Ab	Tonic — home	Ab · C · Eb	17×
i	Abm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb	1×
ii	Bbm	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	Bb · Db · F	2×
iii	Cm	Mediant — a tonic-family shade	C · Eb · G	—
V/vi	C	Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to Fmsecondary dominant	C · E · G	—
IV	Db	Subdominant — moves away from home	Db · F · Ab	17×
V	Eb	Dominant — strongest pull home	Eb · G · Bb	4×
v	Ebm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb	5×
vi	Fm	Relative minor — the melancholy side	F · Ab · C	5×
vii°	Gdim	Leading-tone chord — tension	G · Bb · Db	—

Seen from F minor
Degree	Chord	Role	Notes	In song
i	Fm	Tonic — home	F · Ab · C	5×
ii°	Gdim	Supertonic — prepares the dominant	G · Bb · Db	—
III	Ab	Relative major — the bright side	Ab · C · Eb	17×
iii	Abm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Ab · Cb · Eb	1×
iv	Bbm	Subdominant — moves away from home	Bb · Db · F	2×
v	Cm	Minor dominant — soft pull	C · Eb · G	—
V	C	Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor	C · E · G	—
VI	Db	Submediant — warm colour	Db · F · Ab	17×
VII	Eb	Subtonic — steps back to the tonic	Eb · G · Bb	4×
vii	Ebm	Chromatic colour chordoutside the key	Eb · Gb · Bb	5×

Analysis

The key pair is Ab major and its relative F minor (4 flats). 7 different chords appear 51 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Ebm, Abm step outside the scale as colour chords.

Chord movement

Db Ab AbIV → Iplagal cadence FmVI → III ×10
Db Fm AbIV → vi FmVI → iVI → i ×2
Eb Fm AbV → videceptive cadence FmVII → iAeolian arrival ×1

The move to watch is Db → Ab, heard 10 times. From the Ab side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the Fm side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.

Improvisation tips

Ab major pentatonic and F minor pentatonic are the same five notes (Ab – Bb – C – Eb – F): start from Ab for a brighter phrase, from F for a bluesier one.
Over Db, land on Db, F, Ab — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Ab, land on Ab, C, Eb — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
Over Fm, land on F, Ab, C — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.

The song on the circle of fifths

Played in the song — chord of the key
Played — the minor's harmonic V or a secondary dominant
Played — borrowed or outside chord
Home region: IV–I–V and ii–vi–iii

Empty slices are chords the song doesn't use.

Capo and easier keys

With Ab major shapes

Capo 1 + G shapes
Capo 4 + E shapes
Capo 6 + D shapes

With F minor shapes

Capo 1 + Em shapes
Capo 3 + Dm shapes

Easiest keys on guitar

1 semitone down · capo 1 keeps the original pitch
6 semitones up · capo 6 keeps the original pitch

The song's harmonic story

Starting on Db, the song gives away its key from the very first bar. The chords that keep coming back are Db, Ab, Fm, Ebm; read them as IV–I–vi–v in Ab or VI–III–i–vii in Fm. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on Db → Ab (IV → I in Ab, VI → III in Fm): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. The final chord is Db; the ear comes to rest in Ab.

This analysis is generated from the song's chords by akorculuk's harmony engine using consistent rules. When you change key, the degrees stay the same; only the chord names change.

Benson Boone - Slow It Down Chords on Guitar, Ukulele and Piano

Hover over or tap a chord in the lyrics for its shapes, its degree in both keys and a listen button. Here you have every chord of the song side by side.

Find something to play next

Ready-made lists by difficulty and mood.

Report error for this content report.

All copyrights belong to their respective owners. If you think this content contains copyright infringement, please contact us.

🎤 Benson Boone Chords

🎲 Random Chords in the Key of Ab

View All →