Something is one of George Harrison’s finest moments—a beautifully crafted song with some sophisticated chord moves. Frank Sinatra called it the greatest love song of the past 50 years, and it’s a joy to play on guitar.
In this lesson, Marty Schwartz breaks down the intro lick, all the chord shapes (including some jazzy voicings), and that descending bass line that makes this song so memorable.
Video Lesson
The Intro
The intro uses three chords:
F major → Eb major (barred on 6th fret, A string root) → G major (bar chord)
The Intro Lick
Start with your index finger on the 10th fret of the B string. Then play the 12th fret, but pre-bend it (bend it up a half step before you pick the note).
Release the bend back to the natural note, then play 11, then 12. You can hit 13 but that lands on the downbeat of the chord.
The Verse Chords
When the vocals come in (“Something in the way she moves…”), here’s the progression:
C major — Your standard open C chord.
C major 7 — Same as C, but lift your index finger off. That open B string creates the major 7 sound.
C7 — Put your index back on, then add your pinky to the 3rd fret of the G string. This is the “bluesy” sounding chord.
F major — Marty prefers the bar chord here.
F to open E — Hit the F chord, then let that open low E string ring.
D7 — Like an upside-down D chord. Index finger on the 1st fret of the B string.
G major — With a bass walk: strum G, then pick the open A string, then put your middle finger on the 2nd fret of the A string.
The Descending A Minor Section
This part uses palm muting with all downstrokes—chunk chunk chunk chunk:
A minor — 4 strums
A minor/major 7 — This is a chromatic walkdown within the Am chord. Put your index on 1st fret of G, middle on 1st fret of B, ring on 2nd fret of D. Strum it like an Am.
A minor 7 — From that shape, just lift your index finger off.
D major
Then back to the intro chords: F → Eb → G
The Bridge
The bridge (“You’re asking me will my love grow…”) transitions from G up to A major:
A major → A major 7 (index on 1st fret G, middle on 2nd fret D, ring on 2nd fret B)
F# minor — Let the open low E ring out with it. You can scoop your finger over to catch both.
D major → G major
Then one strum on A with the Paul McCartney bass walk: hit A, then walk down 4th, 3rd, 2nd, 1st fret, open.
The C Walk-Down
Since we can’t get a low D on guitar, the walk-down to C goes:
2nd fret A → open A → 3rd fret low E → open E → 5th fret low E (the D note)
Then the solo starts over the verse progression.
The Ending
At the very end, there’s a descending line: 16th fret → 15th → 14th on the high strings as it fades out.
Tips
- Learn the C variations first. Going from C to Cmaj7 to C7 is the heart of the verse—get those transitions smooth.
- The palm-muted Am section sets the mood. Keep those downstrokes tight and chunky.
- The bass walks make it sound complete. Even if you’re playing solo, those little melodic bass lines fill out the arrangement.
- Pre-bending takes practice. For the intro lick, make sure the note is bent up before you pick it—that’s what gives it that vocal quality.
This is an intermediate song with some sophisticated moves, but it’s worth learning properly. Once you’ve got it, you’ll have a bunch of new chord voicings in your vocabulary.
Rock on!