If I Had a Boat

by Lyle Lovett • Lesson #229 • Apr 11, 2019

Video Lesson

Licensed Song Sheet 5 pages

Follow along with my print-friendly guide for this song! It’s available for purchase at Musicnotes.com, the web’s leading provider of licensed sheet music.

On the fence? Here's a guide I made showing the purchase & print process, including answers to common questions about my song sheets.

Buy at Musicnotes.com

Editor’s notes

Hey friends! In this lesson I’m excited to teach you how to play “If I Had a Boat” by Lyle Lovett. This one came in by patron request, and it has been my pleasure to learn this song and prepare this lesson. I’ll teach you a capo 9 version of this song (how Lovett plays it), focusing on a Travis fingerpicking style matching what he plays. I’ll show you the chord shapes, progressions needed, explain the Travis picking basics, and break down the verse/chorus/intro sections with tabs. I hope you enjoy! Send along any other Lyle Lovett requests you may have, as I’d love to know which other songs y’all may want to hear by him.

Video timestamps:

0:00 Playthrough
0:38 Greeting & overview
1:17 Chords shapes needed
3:51 Chord progressions used
5:42 Travis picking basics
8:03 Intro tab
13:08 Chorus tab
15:59 Verse tab
17:52 Farewell & play-along cover

Need help learning the chord shapes?

Separate from my full-song sheet music (linked above), I also made this instructional PDF which focuses solely on the chord shapes this song uses during the intro & verse sections. This provides both photos and guitar tabs to help you understand the finger positions necessary – and the good part is, a lot of your fingers are staying in the same place for all of the chords!

If you want to get the PDF I show in the video just above, view my notes for lesson #413 »

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If I Had a Boat

Video Lesson

Licensed Song Sheet 5 pages

Editor’s notes

Need help learning the chord shapes?

Unlock My Secret Stash!

Browse Related Lessons

Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!

Looking for More Song Lessons?

Featured Courses

Strumming & Rhythm

Fingerstyle & Travis Picking

Blues Starter Kit

Reading Music for Guitarists

Learning Lead Guitar

Beginner Chord Guide

Practical Music Theory

Using a Capo

Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made

Fret Monster

Capo Captain

Key Master

Blank Tabs

Subscribe to my YouTube channel

Recent Lessons