Bad Moon Rising | TAB (key of D)
Let’s go through how to play this relatively simple tune using TAB intended for the acoustic. The intro is the same as the verse and contains the main riff so let’s just go for that straight away.
There’s plenty to unpack in these four bars!
- Bar 1 is a full D chord, the only strange part is how you need to play the last beat short, as in let go of the fretting hand, but let the 4th string ring.
- Bar 2 has a similar concept, let go of the A chord early, in both bars this is indicated by a little dot. As you can see for the G chord, there is no dot.
- Bar 3 is a D5 (power chord), not a D, then honky-tonk to the D6, open strings is kind of a G chord, kind of a D6sus4.
- Bar 4 is all honky-tonk, with open strings, again, it could be named G or D6sus4.
Here’s the chorus, much easier (if you can play the verse!).
We start pretty simply although bars 1 and 2 are not the same, make sure you can read the rhythms right. The D and D/A is a nice variation.
The second line is self-explanatory if you have worked out the verse and the first part of the chorus.
The only other section to learn is the solo which is a verse and chorus, apart from the final line which is this:
This tiny little variation of adding a bit of honky-tonk to the A and G chords is all that is needed to spice up these chords.
You can use the honky-tonk idea in the chorus to add a 6 to the G and D chords. Experiment with how much you do this. To honky-tonk or not honky-tonk, that is the question.
Practice each section slowly, then along with the original recording.
Bad Moon Rising | TAB Key of E (tune down 1 tone)
Let’s now also look at how to play this on the electric, having tuned down a tone, kind of like John Fogerty did.
I say kind of as what you see below is what would work on one guitar in a band, a best of if you will.
Here’s the verse, I’m writing E/G# as that’s what you need to see to remember the shape, but the bass plays E so it’s not 100% correct and it’s also not for a beginner anymore.
Notice the little dot above beat 2 and 4 in bar two, this means play short, it’s an alternative to writing a shorter rhythm.
Here’s the same part, but now with an open E chord instead of the E/G# which you could call a C shape.
Let’s also look at the chorus, I’ve made two examples for you, learn both and then maybe blend them.
Again, we have open-position chords with that little dot to indicate that it needs to be played short. Hit the chord, and release the fretting hand to dampen early.
Here’s a more complex part. The A and B chords are in E shapes. The E is in a C shape. All chords have 6 extensions.
Bad Moon Rising TAB | Related Pages
Bad Moon Rising | Chords + Lyrics
You can learn to play Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival using chords, chord analysis, lyrics, a chord chart, and the original recording.
| D | A G | D6 riff | D | A G | D6 riff |
I see the bad moon a-risin’, I see trouble on the way…
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Creedence Clearwater Revival tunes
One of the best ways to create contrast in songs is to use opposite messages in the music and lyrics.
John Fogerty, the lead singer, and songwriter of Creedence Clearwater Revival is a master of this technique, perhaps the perfect example is Bad Moon Rising.
Creedence Clearwater Revival on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This guitar lesson by Dan Lundholm featuring TAB, covers Bad Moon Rising. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.