How to Play "The River" by Bruce Springsteen

The River is one of Bruce Springsteen's most iconic songs, which is saying something! It's hard to teach just a few songs from his enormous songbook, but The River is perfect for guitar! It's also a good representation of the man and the band. :)

💙 Bruce’s Folk Tribute: The Boss himself said he wrote this song to pay tribute to old folk music. You can definitely hear the folk influence throughout!

Among other things, Bruce Springsteen is well known for his unique writing style. He uses narrative writing for the lyrics in this song, so it's all about exploring and embracing different voices and experiences. Can you hear this?

The original recording uses a 12-string guitar. While the sound is fuller than a six-string, the techniques are the same. So let’s check out how to play it. :)

The River by Bruce Springsteen: Guitar Chord Progressions

The chord progressions in this song are pretty easy and stay consistent, except for the verses.

The intro chords are

Em, G, D, C
Am, G, C, C.

Verse 1 is

Em, G, D, C
Em, G, C, G
C, C, G, Em
Am, Am, G, C.

Here's where things change: the later verses finish with Am, G, C, C. For the harmonic solo, we use this altered progression and add an extra bar of C at the end.

Finally, the chorus goes

Em, C, D, G
Em, C, D, C.

Instead of using C, you can mimic Bruce Springsteen by playing Cadd9, which he occasionally plays instead of regular C. Explore this grip and see where it sounds good to you. :)

💡 Practice Tip: It can be tricky to remember all these sequences, so make sure you write them down to help sear them into in your mind. :)

Picked Fingerstyle Guitar in the Verses

The picked fingerstyle is the defining element of this song - and the reason I'm so excited to teach it! It's a strum-picking technique, and it gives a warm, gentle, and intricate sound.

Strum-picking? Sounds contradictory, doesn't it? Basically, we play a picking pattern, but our wrist has a strumming motion. As you move up to full speed, the "strum" becomes more evident.

🎸 Picked Fingerstyle Explained: I've done a detailed lesson on the picked fingerstyle technique if you want more info! Check it out. :)

You can work out all the notes he plays, but I think the technique is more important. It’s loose and relaxed, and your hand keeps moving, as though you were strumming. I always end up using the Old Faithful rhythm and accent beat 1, the “and” after 2, and beat 4. But I’m not thinking about it - it's just what feels right.

🧐 Copy the Boss: Listen to the original and you’ll realize Bruce Springsteen adds bass movements and embellishments. We go into detail in the video.

The River by Bruce Springsteen: Chorus Strumming

This is a long song, so it’s crucial you change up your strumming to keep things interesting for the listener. Dynamics are a crucial element of guitar playing!

After the picked fingerstyle in the verses, it’s best to strum the choruses - Old Faithful works great here, and you can watch me demo it in the Strumming Pattern chapter.

Song Structure

Let’s bring it all together. The arrangement is:

Intro, verse 1, chorus;
Verse 2, chorus, verse 3 (no lyrics);
Verse 3; double chorus.

There's plenty to practice here - off you go! And don’t forget to jam along with me in the Acoustic Guitar Cover chapter. Laters! :)

👉 Get full guitar tabs, chords, and lyrics for The River at JustinGuitarTabs.