There’s probably no more recognizable piano intro in music that’s as timeless, perfect, and flat out simple as Your Song by Elton John. I’ve always loved using piano songs as inspiration for arrangements on guitar, so this one was a natural choice. I like the sound of this song on the nylon guitar a little more than a steel string, mostly because of the quick arpeggios that seem designed for a classical style guitar.

Chord Progression

Chords used: D · G · A/E · G7M · A/C# · F#m · Bm · Bm/A · Bm/G# · A · Em7 · Am(no5) · Gadd9 — Standard tuning, no capo, key of D

Intro: D – G – A/E – G

Verse: D – G7M – A/C# – F#m – Bm – Bm/A – Bm/G# – G7M

Pre-Chorus: D – A – F#m – Bm – D – Em7 – G – A

(Verse repeats identically for verse 2; pre-chorus repeats with a slight variation — F#m – A instead of F#m – Bm the second time through.)

Chorus/Bridge: F#m – Bm – Em7 – G7M (×2) – Bm – Am(no5)

Outro: G7M – A – Bm – Am(no5) – Gadd9 – D – Em7 – G7M – D – G – A – G – D