Creating a Fingstyle Arrangement from Scratch (feat. Graceland by Paul Simon)

Hey there, friends! New lesson today where I show you two different ways to fingerpick Paul Simon’s 1986 classic Graceland. This one isn’t as much a direct “play it like Paul” tutorial. Instead, I’ll show the process I just went through (over the past week) in working out some fingerstyle options for this song — trying to find the balance between accessibility (easy to play!) vs. making it sound like Paul.

Straight up, I can’t play like Paul. I’m likewise miles behind the likes of Josh Turner, whose from-the-couch cover of this song perfectly captures Simon’s vibe. Unlike both Paul and Josh (who play this in E major), I’ll be in the Key of C – which is my preferred key this type of fingerpicking. I’ll show the process of transposing the song from the Key of C, teach the beginner-friendly chords I started using, and then walk through some of the more advanced stuff I worked out after getting some confidence.

In case you didn’t see it, lesson #509 — which I posted last week — is very much a prequel to this lesson. Here, I’ll continue to pull on some of the threads from that earlier lesson, mainly grab-and-go Travis Picking in the Key of C. I hope you enjoy!

• 0:00 Summary
• 3:04 Changing the Key
• 5:56 Keep it Simple to Start
• 7:09 Using Custom Chord Voicings?
• 9:58 Advanced Version (Verse)
• 13:43 Advanced Version (Chorus)
• 16:28 Dialing It Back When Needed

Instructional PDF 3 pages

Lesson Discussion

Extended Video Lessons

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Playthrough (Simplified Version)

Here’s me playing through the song using the more basic Travis Picking pattern (identical to what I teach in lesson #509). This one is much easier to play, due to the half-time picking speed. This gives extra mental bandwidth you can devote to singing, the chord changes, or the picking itself. Definitely start with this!

Playthrough (Advanced Version)

Here’s a playthrough where I use the more advanced picking pattern. This one is tough! The picking speed is twice as fast on the bass notes, leaving much less room for distraction. I actually need to dial down the melody notes while singing, lest I lose the groove altogether. But oh, is it a joy to capture some of these Simon-esque riffs!

Recommended Videos

Paul Simon’s Graceland Album Recording

Joshua Turner’s Graceland Cover

Josh Skaja’s Graceland Deep-Drive

Good Guitarist’s Graceland Lesson

Related Lessons I’ve Made

Here’s a handful of related lessons on the topic of Travis Picking, as it pertains to what I teach here.

A Simple Way to Travis Pick Any Song (Key of C)

★ Instructional PDF

F Major Chord with Wrapped Left Thumb (for Fingerstyle & Travis Picking)

★ Instructional PDF

Key of C Cheat Sheet! Notes, Chords, Fretboard, and Misc Tricks

★ Instructional PDF

Travis Picking vs. "Normal" Fingerstyle

★ Instructional PDF

Interested in a Song Sheet for Graceland?

I’m working on it! It should be ready in the first week or so of September. If you want me to hurry it up (or likewise want to get notified when it’s ready), click the button below. The more demand, the faster I’ll get it done. Thanks!

Click to Request Graceland