THE BOXER

What we’ll be covering

The Boxer by Simon & Garfunkel is one of the most famous songs to come out of the American folk/pop scene in the 1960’s. Instantly recogniseable with its cool intro, travis style finger picking and single word chorus vocal line. The song takes the art of travis picking and adds some complexity with some cool syncopated hammer on’s and moving bass melody. It’s a fantastic song for those at an intermediate level who want to perfect their techniques and play the original, but you can also simplify it and just strum the chords for a simpler version.

It’s definitely a singalong song and still goes down great at open mics, and professional gigs alike.

We’ll be looking at the complete song, showing you just how Paul Simon played it, while also giving you a unique way to add the solo string melodies onto the guitar to really impress your friends.

What to expect

• Travis-style fingerpicking – maintaining a steady alternating thumb pattern while the fingers play the upper strings.
• Thumb independence – keeping the bass moving consistently while playing a separate rhythm and melody above it.
• Syncopation – many of the upper notes and chord embellishments fall between the main beats, creating the song’s distinctive flowing feel.
• Hammer-ons and chord embellishments – adding movement and melodic detail without interrupting the picking pattern.
• Moving bass notes – the bass isn’t simply sitting on chord roots; melodic bass movement helps connect the harmony.
• Fingerstyle chord changes – changing shapes smoothly while maintaining an uninterrupted picking pattern.
• Dynamics and touch – getting the notes right is only part of it; the delicate, controlled delivery is essential to capturing the character of the song.

Who’s this session suitable for?

This online course is aimed at Low Intermediate and up players.

You will want to have finger picking experience and if you want to be ahead of the game, then having some knowledge and ability with travis picking will be useful. Check out lesson 4 from our blitzing fingerstyle series where we go into the technique in detail. We even use part of The Boxer as an exercise.

It’s really for acoustic guitars but electric guitars are fine.

Materials

This online course includes:

• Lead sheet TAB/music PDF
• Access to a Zoom recording of the complete live lesson

Check out the whole series

The whole series includes four lessons covering 6 songs. Our other songs include Mrs Robinson, Cecilia, The Boxer and Bridge Over Troubled Water.

IMPORTANT POINTS

• You will receive the Lesson PDF and video link after your payment is confirmed. We will email it asap. just prior to it being run.
• The lesson video is a private link on YouTube. Please keep this and the Lesson PDF private. Don’t not share with others or online.