Bad Moon Rising

How to play Bad Moon Rising by Creedence Clearwater Revival on guitar

Bad Moon Rising is a great beginner song because it moves fast, feels upbeat, and gives you a strong sense of momentum right away. You get to lock into a simple groove and hear the song come together quickly, which makes it rewarding to learn.

You only need open shapes here, so the left hand stays friendly and relaxed. The main thing to watch is the quick back-and-forth between D and G, since that change happens often and needs to stay clean. Keep your fingers close to the strings so each chord lands smoothly.

Start by practicing D - G - D - G slowly until the switches feel automatic. Then add the rest of the cycle and keep the rhythm steady before trying full speed. Once the changes feel easy, bring it up toward the song tempo and focus on staying even.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.