Riptide Chords
Chords in this song
Chords for Riptide by Vance Joy, in the key of Db, around 102 BPM. The song is built on Bbm, Ab, Db, Gb, usually played with a capo on fret 1. Press play — the chord sheet above highlights in time with the track, and you can click any bar to jump there.
How to play Riptide
Db is the key you actually hear on the record. Most players don't finger those chords directly — they put a capo on fret 1 and play Am, G, C, F shapes, which sound as Bbm, Ab, Db, Gb. That's why chord sites often list this song "in Am": they're printing the shapes, not the sounding key.
Difficulty: Advanced — 4 different chords, 4 of them barre or extended shapes. The capo makes it considerably easier than the key suggests.
Our Fm is a mis-read of F#/Gb; Emaj7 spurious. Vance Joy tunes uke down a major 3rd rather than capo.
Chords you need
With a capo on fret 1, finger these as Am, G, C, F.
Chord progression through the song
The bar-by-bar timeline above is detected from the audio by EarChords and can include passing voicings the songbooks simplify away — the key, the core chords and the capo position on this page are checked against published sheet music and audio-analysis sources.
Frequently asked
What key is Riptide in?
Riptide by Vance Joy is in the key of Db, at around 102 BPM. That's the key the recording actually sounds in, not the shapes you finger — with a capo on fret 1 you play Am, G, C, F shapes and it still sounds in Db.
What chords do I need for Riptide?
The core of the song is Bbm, Ab, Db, Gb, which most players finger as Am, G, C, F with a capo on fret 1.
Is Riptide good for beginners?
Advanced. 4 different chords, 4 of them barre or extended shapes. The capo does a lot of the work here — it turns the chords into Am, G, C, F shapes.
What capo do you use for Riptide?
Fret 1. With the capo there you play Am, G, C, F shapes, and the song sounds in its original key of Db.