Harvest Moon
by Neil Young • Lesson #92 • Aug 12, 2017
Video lesson
Licensed Song Sheet 2 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.comEditor’s notes
In this lesson I’ll show you how to play “Harvest Moon” by Neil Young. This is a beautiful gem of a song. It uses drop-d tuning (I’ll explain this), and some very creative voicing of the D-chord. I’ll show you the chords needed, explain the strumming patterns, and of course show you tabs for all of the above. I hope you enjoy! This song was a true pleasure to learn.
Lyrics w/ chords
112 beats per minute, key of D. Drop-d tuning optional.
See my sheet music for all the lyrics w/ chords included.
Drop-D tuning
The tabs below assume you’ve tuned your low-E string down to a “D” note (aka drop-D tuning). See my video lesson for reference here. A quick cheat to do this: use your 4th string (which is also D, though an octave higher) as a reference note. Lower the low-E string until the 6th string sounds the same as the 4th string. Then, you can play a D chord with all six strings (i.e., 000232) and it sounds great!
My approach to these tabs
The tabs below aren’t going to attempt to capture the timing, individual down-strums & up-strums, and other such subtleties. If you’re looking for that type of tab, search and you’ll likely find what you’re looking for (example). In my opinion, you have to learn the chord shapes (below) and trust your ear. Practice. Listen to Neil Young play this (album version, and live versions). Listen to covers of it. Find a groove and style that works for you.
Ultimately, there are only four main guitar sections needed – and they overlap quite a bit with the chord shapes needed. While it is hard to execute with Neil Young precision, it isn’t a lot to memorize. So print this out, write it down, memorize it, take it slow, work out a version that works for you – and most importantly, have fun! For this is a beautiful song and we’re lucky to have it.
Enjoy My Lessons? Show Your Support!
Most of the lessons on my website are 100% free. If you have the means, please show your support with a tip jar contribution. I put many hours into every lesson — but it only takes you a minute to make a donation. You have my thanks!
Looking for More Song Lessons?
Featured Courses
Fun & Helpful Tools I've Made
Subscribe to my YouTube channel
Be sure to never miss a lesson by subscribing on YouTube. I put out 2-3 new videos every week. These include full song lessons, as well as covers, practice tips, behind-the-scenes updates. Thanks!
Recent Lessons
-
October 3, 2024
Kris Kristofferson's "Me and Bobby McGee"
-
September 27, 2024
Paul Simon Fingerstyle with "59th Street Bridge Song"
-
September 20, 2024
Fingerstyle & Travis Picking Lesson Roundup!
-
September 13, 2024
"Rebel Rouser" - 1950s Lead Guitar Lesson
-
September 5, 2024
Lead Guitar Lesson Roundup!
-
Aug 30, 2024
"Linger" by The Cranberries
-
Aug 21, 2024
Capos, Explained: 6 New Lessons & PDF Guides
-
August 8, 2024
"Spin You Around" by Morgan Wallen