Neil Young is one of my favorite artists of all time. I remember getting hooked in 2003 when I saw his Greendale concert in London. Incredible.
I love teaching his songs because I enjoy covering them, and Neil Young's style is unique. It doesn't matter if you're new to guitar or a more experienced guitar player - there's always a new thing to learn from his tunes.
Next, you will find a list of my favorite Neil Young songs to learn by guitar level - from early beginners until brave advanced guitar players! But hey - I have loads more Neil Young tutorials for you, so don't miss out on the full list! :)
🎵 Beginner Grade 1 Song: Helpless
This song is a great example of Neil Young tunes requiring simple chords. Beginners wrapping up my Grade 1 course can have a go at it, as we won't need any barre chords. For that tutorial, we will also explore the capo positions to expand the possibilities for key changes so you can sing along too! :)
🎵 Beginner Grade 2 Song: Cortez the Killer (Simplified Version)
Neil Young originally plays this classic in Double Drop D, but it works great as an easy beginner song with just Em, D, and Am. :) Even if you're still working on Grade 1, you can nail Cortez the Killer if you dig it!
Intermediate guitar players can check out the tutorial teaching how to play Cortez the Killer like the original recording.
🎵 Beginner Grade 3 Song: Heart of Gold
Heart of Gold is one of Neil Young's most popular songs, and it's not too tricky. Guitar players graduating from my Beginner Course can play it just right!
And this is also a great opportunity to explore the harmonica - get yourself a G Major harmonica (Neil uses Marine Band) and experiment!
🎵 Intermediate Grade 4 Song: Rockin' in the Free World
Rockin' in the Free World is such a classic song but tricky to sing - Pearl Jam has an awesome version of it! Eddie Vedder nailed it, as always.
My lesson explains acoustic and electric guitar parts, so enjoy it!
🎵 Intermediate Grade 5 Song: Out On The Weekend
This Neil Young song is deceptively difficult to play. What a tricky rhythm! But Intermediate players getting into barre chords and alternate chord grips will benefit greatly from it.
Get ready to practice your hammer-ons and flick-offs too. Loads to work on here!
🎵 Intermediate Grade 6 Song: Harvest Moon
We'll need to get to Drop D tuning to play this beautiful ballad. It sounds lovely on the acoustic guitar - and it's a great reunion of many Neil Young tricks. :)
On the original recording, there's a little riff with 12/12 seven harmonics all the way through. That's tricky, but mindful listening will help you overcome this challenge!
➕ Want more? Explore all my 26 Neil Young song tutorials - and get verified tabs, chords, and lyrics to learn faster! :)
Come on - it feels so good to watch my student Trent, only 9 years old, playing Old Man on the guitar. He learned it from my song tutorial! :)
Despite his young age, Trent has been into guitar and the ukulele since he was 6. He had the attitude of asking his teacher for Ukulele lessons, and... it's paying off, isn't it? :)
Trent also had a lot of influence and guidance from his father, Thomas. He's been learning with JustinGuitar since 2016!
Music is powerful; seeing young kids get into it is so cool. :) I always appreciate it when I get to know talented young musicians out there, and I'm glad I can contribute a little bit to their development!
I learned Trent's story because Thomas, his daddy, posted his video on the JustinGuitar Community. Over there, we have a special place where you all can share your music and guitar progress and even ask for some feedback if you want to! :)
I'm talking about our ever-popular AVOYP area, where you can share your progress with others in a super safe space. :) It takes just these 3 easy steps:
- Create a new topic with the title of the song or project you are posting.
- Paste the link to your recording.
- Ta-dah! Be proud of yourself. You made it! :)