← Prev Song Next Song →

Shallow

by A Star is Born • Lesson #181 • Oct 11, 2018

Full lesson

Licensed Song Sheet 3 pages

Follow along with my print-friendly guide for this song! It’s available for purchase at Musicnotes.com, the web’s leading provider of licensed sheet music.

On the fence? Here's a guide I made showing the purchase & print process, including answers to common questions about my song sheets.

Buy at Musicnotes.com

Play-along cover

Lyrics w/ chords

See PDF for lyrics, chords, and intro tab.

Chords needed

“Magic ring” chord shapes (used for intro & verse fingerpicking):

E ––––––––––––––––––––––––––––
B ––––3–––––3–––––3–––––3–––––  <== left ring finger stays here,
G ––––0–––––2–––––0–––––0–––––      on 3rd fret, for all chords!
D ––––2–––––0–––––0–––––2–––––
A ––––2–––––0–––––2–––––3–––––
E ––––0–––––2–––––3–––––––––––
     Em7   D/F#   G   Cadd9

Conventional chord shapes (used throughout the song):

E ––––0–––––3–––––3–––––0––––0–––––0–––––2–––––0––––
B ––––0–––––3–––––3–––––1––––1–––––1–––––3–––––2––––
G ––––0–––––2–––––0–––––0––––2–––––0–––––4–––––2––––
D ––––2–––––0–––––0–––––2––––2–––––2–––––4–––––2––––
A ––––2–––––––––––2–––––3––––0–––––x–––––2–––––0––––
E ––––0–––––––––––3––––––––––––––––3––––––––––––––––
      Em    D     G     C    Am   Am/G   Bm    A

How to learn the intro riff

When learning this song, I recommend using the following as a guide to understand the rhythm of the intro & verse chords. Whether you strum or fingerpick, you’ll want to note which chords are switched to on the beat, and which are “pushed” so that you switch to them an 8th note ahead of the main beat (e.g., the first G is played on the “4 +” count instead of the “1” count).

See PDF for tab diagram

From here, you can bring in the fingerpicking tab as heard in the actual song. Notice how the chord changes happen on the beats prescribed above.

See PDF for tab diagram

Simplifying the intro & verse riff

Here’s the same intro progression, but using the simplified chord shapes that keep your left ring finger on the same note for all chords. Can’t beat that!

See PDF for tab diagram

If you want to keep things simpler for the intro and/or the verse, I recommend learning this approach. The benefit is that your left ring finger stays on the B string (3rd fret) for all chords, which makes things so much easier. Note, this gets looser with the timing - which also keeps things simpler (don’t feel like you HAVE to match the exact timing of the song, if it’s giving you a hard time).

See PDF for tab diagram

Chord progression cheat sheet

There are four beats per measure - and each of the main song sections used the following chords (sometimes you stay on a chord for 4 counts, other times you split a measure between two different chords).

Verse:        "Tell me something, girl..."
              | Em    D/F# | G          | C          | G     D    |

Pre-chorus:   "I'm off the deep end..."
              | Am         | D          | G     D/F# | Em         |

Chorus:       "In the shallow, shallow..."
              | Am    Am/G | D/F#       | G     D/F# | Em         |

Bridge:       "Whoaaaa....."
              | Bm         | D          | A          | Em         |
              | Bm         | D          | A          |

Strumming pattern

After the verse sections are over, I usually strum the rest of the song. Quite simply, I’ll use a “down, down up… up down up” pattern, over and over again.

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
D   D U   U D U

Thanks and good luck!

I hope this helps, and as always let me know if you have any questions. While you’re here, check out my other lessons for songs from A Star is Born:

Always Remember Us This Way

Lesson timestamps:

0:00 Lesson preview & agenda
1:45 Chords shapes needed
4:53 Chord progressions
7:04 Strumming patterns
11:18 Chorus: strum & timing
14:05 Chorus: advanced voicings
16:23 Putting it all together
18:03 Farewell & thanks

Maybe It’s Time

Guitar lesson:

Play-along cover (full song):

Browse Related Lessons

Click any tag below to view other lessons I've made in that category:

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Most of the lessons on my website are 100% free. If you have the means, please show your support with a tip jar contribution. I put many hours into every lesson — but it only takes you a minute to make a donation. You have my thanks!

Donate

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Interactive fretboard map! See the patterns behind every scale in any key.

View

Capo Captain

An easy way to calculate key & chord combinations, for any capo location!

View

Key Master

See and hear the notes, chords, scales used in each of the most common keys.

View

Blank Tabs

Free PDF templates to download, print, and write out your own guitar tabs!

View

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!

Recent Lessons

July 24, 2024

Must-Know Strumming Patterns in 6/8 Time

Learn how to strum any song in 6/8 time! Here's a collection of 8 must-know strumming patterns in that time signature, from beginning to advanced.
July 13, 2024

"Wondering Why" by Red Clay Strays

Let's learn how to play this easy-going, Southern-Rock hit! Plenty of strumming & rhythm tips, including a capo'd acoustic version if you want to avoid barre chords.
July 8, 2024

Viewing Notes in a Certain Area of the Fretboard

In my FretMonster web tool, you can now adjust the visible range of frets where notes appear. Great for less distraction while practicing. Check out this video tour!
June 21, 2024

"Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits

A mega-lesson for this classic song! Learn a strummed version, how to incorporate the melody notes, and two ways to play it fingerstyle.
June 14, 2024

"Have a Little Faith In Me" by John Hiatt

Learn how to play Hiatt's 1987 classic! Just like his live performances, I'll teach it using capo 5 and the Key of C chord family.
June 6, 2023

"And It's Still Alright" by Nathaniel Rateliff

Learn Nathaniel Rateliff's amazingly powerful song from 2020! I include a few different strumming & riff options to make sure you're covered.
June 1, 2024

Introduction to Reggae Strumming & Rhythm

Let's dive into playing reggae on the guitar! I'll walk you through the basics, from off-beat accents to muted strums — with a few fun song exercises included.
May 20, 2024

What Types of Play-Along Covers are Most Helpful?

Most of my song lessons feature backing tracks or play-along covers — and I'd love your feedback about which aspect of these is most helpful!
May 10, 2024

"Wichita Lineman" by Glen Campbell

Let's dive into Glen Campbell's all-time classic from 1968, originally written by Jimmy Webb. I teach this with capo 5th fret, using easier-to-manage Key of C chords.
May 1, 2024

Tour of My New "KeyMaster" Web Tool

My new interactive web tool lets you see and hear the notes, chords, and common progressions in all of the most common keys. Super helpful!
April 24, 2024

13 Must-Know Riffs with Droning Strings

A handy roundup of all the songs I've taught that use droning strings... with a quick breakdown of each riff!
April 18, 2024

"Moonshadow" by Cat Stevens

Learn how to play Cat Stevens' 1971 classic! I include campfire-friendly chords and strumming, and a step-by-step breakdown of the intro fingerstyle riff.

Shallow

Full lesson

Licensed Song Sheet 3 pages

Play-along cover

Lyrics w/ chords

Chords needed

How to learn the intro riff

Simplifying the intro & verse riff

Chord progression cheat sheet

Strumming pattern

Thanks and good luck!

Always Remember Us This Way

Maybe It’s Time

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Browse Related Lessons

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Capo Captain

Key Master

Blank Tabs

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Recent Lessons

Browse All My Lessons

By lesson type

By technique

By musical genre

By decade

By musical key

By popular artist