“Under the Boardwalk” by The Drifters is one of those songs that sounds like summer. The strum pattern has a gentle, swaying quality that’s perfect for sitting on a porch with an acoustic guitar — and a great addition to your strumming patterns collection.

It’s also a surprisingly useful pattern to learn because that same swaying feel shows up in a lot of doo-wop, oldies, and beach music. Master it here and you’ve got a template for a whole category of songs.

The Chord Progression

This song uses a classic I-IV-V progression in the key of G: G, C, and D. It’s the same three chords behind hundreds of great songs, which is part of what makes it such a good learning piece. You can focus on the strum pattern without worrying about tricky chord shapes.

The verse moves between G and C with a steady, unhurried pace. The D chord shows up as a turnaround at the end of phrases, pulling you back to G. Let each chord ring and don’t rush the changes.

The Strum Pattern

The pattern has a gentle bounce to it. Think of it as a lilting down-down-up-up-down-up with a slight emphasis on beats 1 and 3. It’s not aggressive — this is a song that should feel like it’s floating.

Keep your strumming hand loose. A tight grip will make everything sound stiff, and stiffness is the enemy of this particular groove. Let the pick glide across the strings rather than attacking them.

Adding the Bass Walk

Like a lot of songs from this era, Under the Boardwalk sounds better when you add bass note walks between chords. When moving from G to C, you can walk up the bass notes: G, A, B, then land on C. Coming back down, reverse it: C, B, A, G.

These bass walks happen while your strumming hand keeps the pattern going. Your fretting hand does the walking while the rhythm stays steady. It takes some coordination, but it sounds fantastic once it clicks.

Performance Tips

This is a sing-along song, so keep the guitar part supportive rather than busy. Don’t add too many fills or embellishments — the strum pattern itself should carry things along while the vocals sit on top.

If you’re playing this at a campfire or jam session, keep the dynamics even and steady. People will naturally start singing along, and a consistent groove makes that easy for everyone.

For more ideas on matching patterns to songs, check out how to choose a strumming pattern. And if bass walks interest you, there’s a whole lesson on adding bass notes to your strumming.

Head to the strumming patterns hub for the complete collection of rhythm guitar lessons.