Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Blues & boogie

The Boxer: easy piano accompaniment in letter notes

By Simon & Garfunkel

  • C major
  • 2/2
  • 160 BPM
  • 1968
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Seesaw bassRight hand Knock-knock chordsChords from the chord symbols in the score

The accompaniment with every note named, bar by bar: the bar sheet shows each note as a bar on the staff with its letter inside, so you can accompany The Boxer without reading music. The left hand plays seesaw bass (root–fifth 1-5-1-5) and the right hand knock-knock chords.

The repeating figure of The Boxer in letter notes

The real notes from a score, both hands, bar by bar. R is the right hand, L the left; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G
RG4+E5 F4+D5 E4+C5 F4+D5
LG2 D3 G3 D3
Bar 2
G7
RF4+C5 F4+C5 F4+C5 D4+B4
LB2+G3 A2 G2
Bar 3
C
RE4+C5
LC3 E3 G2 E3
Bar 4
C
RC4 G3 C4 G3
LC3 E3 G2 E3

The Boxer accompaniment in letter notes

The G – G7 – C – C loop with seesaw bass in the left hand and knock-knock chords in the right. Notes struck together are joined with a plus; C4 is middle C.

Bar 1
G
RD5+F5+G5 D5+F5+G5 D5+F5 D5+F5
LG2 D3 G2 D3
Bar 2
G7
RD5+F5+G5 D5+F5+G5 D5+F5 D5+F5
LG2 D3 G2 D3
Bar 3
C
RG4+Bb4+C5 G4+Bb4+C5 G4+Bb4 G4+Bb4
LC3 G3 C3 G3
Bar 4
C
RG4+Bb4+C5 G4+Bb4+C5 G4+Bb4 Eb5 E5 G5 A5 G5 E5 Eb5 C5
LC3 G3 C3 G3
Bar 5
G
RD5+F5+G5 D5+F5+G5 D5+F5 D5+F5
LG2 D3 G2 D3
Bar 6
G7
RD5+F5+G5 D5+F5+G5 D5+F5 D5+F5
LG2 D3 G2 D3
Bar 7
C
RG4+Bb4+C5 G4+Bb4+C5 G4+Bb4 G4+Bb4
LC3 G3 C3 G3
Bar 8
C
RG4+Bb4+C5 G4+Bb4+C5 G4+Bb4 G4+Bb4
LC3 G3 C3 G3

How to read the bar sheet

The player above shows the treble staff (right hand) over the bass staff (left hand). Every note is a bar as long as it sounds, at its place on the staff, with its name inside, and the music scrolls past a line that marks now. The chord names run along the top.

Start with the left hand alone at a slow speed, then the right, then both. When the letters feel easy, try the sheet music.

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Questions about The Boxer

What are the letter notes for the The Boxer piano accompaniment?

Bar by bar, both hands: the bar sheet on this page names every note of the accompaniment (C4 is middle C) and plays along. The loop is G – G7 – C – C, so the letters repeat with the chords.

What chords are in The Boxer?

The loop is G – G7 – C – C (V – V7 – I – V) in C major, and the song ends on F – G – C.

What key is The Boxer in?

C major, at about 160 beats a minute in 2/2.

What does the left hand play in The Boxer?

Seesaw bass: root–fifth 1-5-1-5, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is The Boxer easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Can I hear the real melody of The Boxer?

Yes: "The part you know" plays the repeating figure of the song from a score, with both hands.

Made from 4 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.