Major view
A major
Brightness rank 2/7 (bright)
Characteristic notes
- 7 = G# (leading tone, pulls home)
- 4 = D (the note that leans on the 3rd)
Benson Boone - Pretty Slowly - Chord
Key A major – F# minor Chords A, D, F#m, E, E/G# Easy key G (capo 2)
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Key: A | Gbm | F#m
Capo: 0
A
Oh, I remember how you were
You were every shade of perfect
F#m
And then the colors blurred
D
And you'll never love me like you did
A
You'll never love, you'll never love me like you did
A
And I see your ghost from time to time
When I'm drivin' through the Rockies
F#m
And I feel this little knife in my heart
D
And it bleeds me out
A
Don't wanna love, I don't wanna love you now
D
Oh, how come all the best things fall apart
A
And it started pretty slowly
E/G# F#m
Oh, when you asked about the old me
E
Oh, is he gone? Oh, is he gone? Oh, I don't know
D
I think I left him somewhere I no longer go
A
And I watch you run away now
E/G# F#m
From all the lovely things we hate now
E
Where did we go? Where did we go? Oh, I don't know
D
But I know it feels like somewhere far away from home
A
And it's fallin' into pieces
E/G# F#m
No, there's not a way that we can stop this now
E
One thousand miles an hour, we're drivin' off the edge
D
And, darling, now there's nothing left
A
And it started out so slowly
A
Oh, as I lay here by myself and it's 4 a.m., I wonder
F#m
Did I put you through hell? Oh, no
D
I need to know if you're okay
A
I wanna know, I need to know if you're okay
A
And I hope that you're so damn sure that leavin' me was right
F#m
Best thing you ever did, it was leavin' me behind
D A
Oh, woo ooh ooh, I couldn't blame you if I tried
D
I guess even the best things fall apart
A
And it started pretty slowly
E/G# F#m
Oh, when you asked about the old me
E
Oh, is he gone? Oh, is he gone? Oh, I don't know
D
I think I left him somewhere I no longer go
A
And I watch you run away now
E/G# F#m
From all the lovely things we hate now
E
Where did we go? Where did we go? Oh, I don't know
D
But I know it feels like somewhere far away from home
A
And it's fallin' into pieces
E/G# F#m
No, there's not a way that we can stop this now
E
One thousand miles an hour, we're drivin' off the edge
D
And, darling, now there's nothing left
A F#m E
Ooh ooh ooh
D
Somewhere deep in you
A
Somewhere deep in me
F#m
Oh, there's still two lovers
E
So who the hell are we
D
When I look at you
A
And when you look at me
F#m
Oh, there's still two lovers
E
So who the hell are we
D
When I look at you
A
And when you look at me
F#m
Oh, there's still two lovers
E
So who the hell are we
D
When I look at you
A
And when you look at me
F#m
Oh, there's still two lovers
E
So who the hell are we
D A
Who the hell are we
F#m E
Oh, who the hell are we?
End of song Play again?
Benson Boone - Pretty Slowly Tabs
NotesX
Harmony analysis
Benson Boone – Pretty Slowly: key and chord analysis
The song opens on A and ends on E. Its chords belong to both A major and F#m, so every chord below is read both ways.
Minor view
F# minor
Brightness rank 5/7 (leaning dark)
Characteristic notes
- b6 = D (the minor's melancholy)
- b7 = E (natural-minor colour)
Which side does the ear lean to?
Our reading: to us the song feels closer to the A major side because it opens on A and A is heard 21 times against 16 for F#m. 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 A or to F#m; 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.
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| I | A | Tonic — home | A · C# · E | 21× |
| ii | Bm | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | B · D · F# | — |
| iii | C#m | Mediant — a tonic-family shade | C# · E · G# | — |
| V/vi | C# | Secondary dominant V/vi — leads to F#msecondary dominant | C# · E# · G# | — |
| IV | D | Subdominant — moves away from home | D · F# · A | 17× |
| V | E | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 12× |
| V | E/G# | Dominant — strongest pull home | E · G# · B | 6× |
| vi | F#m | Relative minor — the melancholy side | F# · A · C# | 16× |
| vii° | G#dim | Leading-tone chord — tension | G# · B · D | — |
| Degree | Chord | Role | Notes | In song |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| i | F#m | Tonic — home | F# · A · C# | 16× |
| ii° | G#dim | Supertonic — prepares the dominant | G# · B · D | — |
| III | A | Relative major — the bright side | A · C# · E | 21× |
| iv | Bm | Subdominant — moves away from home | B · D · F# | — |
| v | C#m | Minor dominant — soft pull | C# · E · G# | — |
| V | C# | Dominant — borrowed from harmonic minor, pulls hard to the tonicharmonic minor | C# · E# · G# | — |
| VI | D | Submediant — warm colour | D · F# · A | 17× |
| VII | E | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 12× |
| VII | E/G# | Subtonic — steps back to the tonic | E · G# · B | 6× |
Analysis
The key pair is A major and its relative F# minor (3 sharps). 5 different chords appear 72 times in total; 5 of them sit naturally inside the shared scale. Everything stays inside one scale, which is why the song is easy to follow by ear.
Chord movement
- D A AIV → Iplagal cadence F#mVI → III ×17
- E/G# F#m AV → videceptive cadence F#mVII → iAeolian arrival ×6
The move to watch is D → A, heard 17 times. From the A side it reads IV → I (plagal cadence: the soft 'amen' ending); from the F#m side it is VI → III. Knowing where these arrivals fall helps you feel the phrasing and anticipate the next chord.
Improvisation tips
- A major pentatonic and F# minor pentatonic are the same five notes (A – B – C# – E – F#): start from A for a brighter phrase, from F# for a bluesier one.
- Over A, land on A, C#, E — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over D, land on D, F#, A — the chord's own tones always sound right on strong beats.
- Over F#m, land on F#, A, 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 A major shapes
- No capo — open A shapes
- Capo 2 + G shapes
- Capo 5 + E shapes
With F# minor shapes
- Capo 2 + Em shapes
- Capo 4 + Dm shapes
Easiest keys on guitar
- 2 semitones down · capo 2 keeps the original pitch
The song's harmonic story
The first chord is A; the ear learns where home is within a second. A, D, F#m, E carry the song: I–IV–vi–V relative to A, III–VI–i–VII relative to F#m. No chord leaves the shared scale, so a single pentatonic shape works over the whole song. Keep an ear on D → A (IV → I in A, VI → III in F#m): plagal cadence — the soft 'amen' ending. It closes on E, letting the A side have the last word.
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 - Pretty Slowly 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.
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