Play "Night Moves" by Bob Seger on the Acoustic Guitar

In this lesson, we'll learn how to play Night Moves by Bob Seger and The Silver Bullet Band on the acoustic guitar! It is a fun song – it has a relaxed vibe and is great for using the smaller F chord. Let's explore it!

Night Moves by Bob Seger – Rhythm

The rhythm is my favorite part of this song. We play 1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +, with percussive hits on beats 2 and 4. I just use finger 1 to strum, and I play the hits a little louder than the original. The listener needs to hear the hits when you're playing alone.

It's up to you how you strum this. Bob Seger uses all his fingers, or you could try a pick! Whatever you do, the trick to the percussive hits on beats 2 and 4 is to rest your strumming hand on the strings as you strum. That way, you strum muted strings and get a drum sound. In this song, it's essential that your strumming has a relaxed, laid-back feel.

Night Moves by Bob Seger – Verse Chords

This song has a capo on fret 1 and starts with a G chord. I play "Rock G" (3X0033) in this song using fingers 2, 3, and 4. I think Bob is using finger 1 too (320033) – it's your choice! We start with one bar of G and stay there for another half bar. We then switch to F/C (X33211) for + 4, then to C/G (332010) for the "and" after 4.

For the F/C, finger 1 barres fret 1 of strings 1 and 2, finger 2 plays fret 2 of string 3, finger 3 plays fret 3 of string 5, and finger 4 plays fret 3 of string 4. Make sure you mute string 6 with finger 3. This is the mini F Barre Chord!

💡 Percussive Hits - do you need more practice with this strumming technique? Learn here!

To move to the C/G, finger 1 moves onto the tip, playing fret 1 of string 2 and leaving string 1 open. The other fingers all move up a string. We stay on C/G for one and a half bars, switch to F/C for + 4, moving to G on the "and" after 4. It's the same movement and rhythm as the first two bars, except we start on C/G and move back to G.

Realize that on the three up strums of the second bar, we play a different chord each time! Take time to perfect this sequence. Again, ensure your strumming sounds natural and relaxed to match the song's vibe. The groove is way more important than the chords.

Night Moves by Bob Seger – Singing

The phrasing of the lyric is quite loose. It can be easy or difficult. It's easy because you can make up your version, but difficult because it's not obvious when to sing. Before you try to sing it, make sure you master the rhythm and chords. It's a great idea to listen to the original lots too!

💡 Sing, sing, sing – Playing guitar and singing well at the same time ain’t easy. Unlock your singing potential with these 10 easy steps to sing and play guitar!

Night Moves by Bob Seger – Chorus

The first four bars of the chorus are identical to the verse sequence, except we stay on C/G to the end of the final bar. We switch from C/G to Em at the start of the next bar. We copy the verses, switching to D for one up strum and then to C/G. In the next bar, we do the same to move back to Em. To move back to the verse, we stay on C/G to the end of the last bar, then move back to G.

Night Moves by Bob Seger – Bridge

The bridge is quite tricky. It's not difficult to play, but it's long and lacks structure. To nail it, listen to the original and play along.

It starts with the verse progression and then moves to an Em, held for two bars. We switch to D on the "and" after 3, then to a G on the "and" after 4. We hold that for two bars. Then it goes to a C, held for two bars. We repeat G and C, both held for two bars.

We move to an F for two bars, picking up the rhythm, then to a D, again for two bars, with some rhythm. We then go to a G, bringing the volume right down. After two bars, we hold the G again for two bars, then do the same on a CMaj7/G (332000). That's the C/G from before with finger 1 removed. Then repeat G and CMaj7/G.

💡 Listen to the original – Check out the record if you really want to master this bridge section and the feel of the song.

Now we go to an Em held for two bars, then a CMaj7/G. We play this three times, replacing CMaj7/G with C/G for the second last bar before switching to CMaj7/G. We now move to G for two bars before returning to the chorus progression. This section is now the outro, where we sing the chorus over the verse progression.

If you're playing in a band, you should learn the bridge as it is on the original. But if you're playing alone, you could invent the bridge chords and talk it through. My technical word for this is "blagging"! :)

Make sure you get the groove of the song! It's relaxed, happy, and free, like a Jack Johnson tune. Have tons of fun with Night Moves, and take care! :)

🎵 This song is from my Request Board. Have a song you'd love to learn? Just put in a request! :)