“Shallow” is the Oscar-winning centerpiece of the 2018 film A Star Is Born, performed as a duet by Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. It’s one of the most powerful pop ballads of the past decade — and despite its massive emotional payoff, it’s surprisingly beginner-friendly to play.
The verse and refrain cycle through just four open chords (Em, D, G, C), with Am added in the chorus. The famous Gaga build-up adds two more chords (Bm and A major), but everything else in the song stays in basic open-position territory.
For more advanced players, I’ve also included an alternative fingerpicked intro that uses richer 7th-chord voicings — the way the song is played on the original recording. The song is at its absolute best as a duet, so if you can grab a singing partner, learning “Shallow” together is a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.
The Chords You’ll Need
FOR MOST OF THE SONG
FOR THE BUILD-UP
FOR THE ALTERNATIVE PICKING INTRO
Chord Chart
Intro |Em D G| | |C |G D | |Em D G| | Alternative Intro (Fingerpicked) Em7 D/F# G C Cadd9 G D e|----------------|----------------|------------0---|----3---------------0h2p0---------| B|----3-----3---3-|----------------|----1-3-------3-|----3-------3-------------3-------| G|------0---2---0-|----------------|--0-----0-------|----0-------2-----------------2---| D|----------------|----------------|----------------|------------0---------------------| A|----------------|----------------|3---------3-----|----------------------------------| E|0-0-----2-----3-|----------------|----------------|3---------------------------------| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + etc. 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a \ 3 / Em7 D/F# G e|----------------|----------------| B|----3-----3---3-|----------------| G|--0---0---2---0-|----------------| D|----------------|----------------| A|----------------|----------------| E|0-------2-----3-|----------------| 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 + Verse 1 Em D G Tell me somethin' girl C G D Are you happy in this modern world? Em D G Or do you need more C G D Is there somethin' else you're searchin' for? Refrain 1 Em D G I'm fallin' C In all the good times G D Em D G I find myself longin' for change C G D And in the bad times I fear myself |Em D G| | |Em D G| | Verse 2 Em D G Tell me something boy C G D Aren't you tired tryin' to fill that void? Em D G Or do you need more C G D Ain't it hard keepin' it so hardcore? Refrain 2 Em D G I'm falling C In all the good times G D Em D G I find myself longing for change C G D And in the bad times I fear myself Chorus 1 Am I'm off the deep end D Watch as I dive in G D Em I'll never meet the ground Am Crash through the surface D Where they can't hurt us G D Em We're far from the shallow now Bridge Am D In the sha-ha-sha-ha-low G D Em In the sha-sha-la-la-la-low Am D In the sha-ha-sha-ha-low G D Em We're far from the shallow now Build-up (the iconic Gaga "haaaa") Em Bm D A Em Bm D A oooohhhhh oahhhhhhh, oahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh Chorus 2 (strum once and let ring) Am I'm off the deep end D Watch as I dive in G D Em I'll never meet the ground Am Crash through the surface D Where they can't hurt us G D Em We're far from the shallow now Outro Am D In the sha-ha-sha-ha-low G D Em In the sha-sha-la-la-la-low Am D In the sha-ha-sha-ha-low G D Em Em We're far from the shallow now
About the alternative fingerpicked intro
The original recording uses a fingerpicked intro built on richer 7th-chord voicings
instead of the basic triads in the simple version. These chords are slight variations
of the chords you already know:
Em7 is just Em with an added 7th (a D note). The easiest voicing is a regular Em with finger 4 added on the 3rd fret of the B string — or simply leave the B string open in some places to let the 7th ring out.
D/F# is a D chord with F# in the bass. We cover both fingerings on the Zombie page.
Cadd9 is a C chord with the 9th (D) added (usually to string 2 fret 3).
The fingerpicked version is more advanced than the strummed chord intro, so don’t worry about it if you’re still building your basics. The simple chord intro at the top of the chart sounds great on its own.
Em7 is just Em with an added 7th (a D note). The easiest voicing is a regular Em with finger 4 added on the 3rd fret of the B string — or simply leave the B string open in some places to let the 7th ring out.
D/F# is a D chord with F# in the bass. We cover both fingerings on the Zombie page.
Cadd9 is a C chord with the 9th (D) added (usually to string 2 fret 3).
The fingerpicked version is more advanced than the strummed chord intro, so don’t worry about it if you’re still building your basics. The simple chord intro at the top of the chart sounds great on its own.
About the build-up
The line beneath the iconic Gaga “haaaa” run uses four chords in quick succession:
Em → Bm → D → A. Bm is the only real challenge here — it’s a partial barre chord on
the 2nd fret.
If your barre isn’t sounding clean yet, you can substitute Bm7 instead: see the Love Story page for a finger-by-finger guide. The build-up is really about vocal intensity rather than harmonic complexity, so don’t get hung up on the Bm if it’s not clicking yet.
If your barre isn’t sounding clean yet, you can substitute Bm7 instead: see the Love Story page for a finger-by-finger guide. The build-up is really about vocal intensity rather than harmonic complexity, so don’t get hung up on the Bm if it’s not clicking yet.
Practice Tips
- The verse and refrain use just four chords: Em → D → G → C. Loop that progression on its own at slow tempo until the changes feel automatic. That covers the entire first half of the song.
- The chorus introduces Am — one new chord. The Am to D transition is small (just a couple of fingers shift), so practice it briefly in isolation before adding it to the chorus progression.
- The build-up before the final chorus is the song’s most demanding moment. If Bm isn’t clicking yet, substitute Bm7 (linked above) and the song still works beautifully. The build-up is really about the vocal more than the chords — you can almost get away with just holding any chord during the “haaaa” run if you’re singing your heart out.
- This song is a duet. The original alternates between Cooper’s verse and Gaga’s response, then they sing the chorus together. Learning it with a partner — or even just trading lines back and forth with yourself — captures the emotional arc better than playing it solo.