Christopher Cross - Sailing - Guitar Lesson

About Sailing

Few pop songs from 1979 float quite like "Sailing" does, and capturing that feeling on guitar takes more restraint than flash. Running in A major at 104 BPM in E Standard tuning, the song sits in a gentle, rolling pocket where your right hand has to stay light and consistent throughout. The chord work is clean and open, rewarding players who focus on smooth voice leading and a relaxed strumming touch rather than aggressive attack. Written and recorded by Christopher Cross, this Pop Rock track has a lush, layered sound on the record, so isolating exactly what the guitar is doing underneath can be tricky at first. Use the Practice Toolbar to loop any transition that feels rushed and slow it down until the changes feel completely natural before bringing the tempo back up. The real challenge here is maintaining that effortless, airy quality from the first bar to the last without tensing up.

• The song sits in A major at 104 BPM in E Standard tuning, making it accessible for intermediate players focused on clean chord work and smooth transitions.
• The guitar part relies heavily on a light, consistent strumming touch, so right-hand control and dynamics matter more than any single difficult technique.
• Looping the chord changes slowed down with the Practice Toolbar is especially useful here, as the relaxed tempo can mask timing slips that only show at full speed.