New Song: Moonlight Shadow

Let’s learn this 80s classic! As you listen you’ll notice it has a unique blend of sounds, with elements of folk, pop, and rock coming through at different times. This is a great way of capturing your attention – hooking the listener into the song, and keeping you guessing.

“Moonlight Shadow”, made famous by Mike Oldfield, is now available in Yousician for

• Guitar
• Piano
• Bass
• Ukulele
• and Singing

Moonlight Shadow for Guitar
by: James Neilson, Music Education Designer for Guitar

In the cowboy chords exercise (level 5) you’ll play the main chords of the song, using familiar cowboy shapes (and a capo if you have one). If makes lots of use of the #1 most popular strumming pattern: D-DU-UD. The syncopated (off-beat) rhythm makes it tricky, but it’s worth taking the time to master.

In the rhythm & lead exercise (level 10) you’ll play the original rhythm and lead parts, featuring a range of barre chords, and a lot of soloing for a pop song! Look out for the high frets and quick position shifts in the solo – these can make it challenging to read, but this song is excellent practice, and worth the effort.

Moonlight Shadow for Ukulele
by: Joona Hasan, Music Education Designer for Ukulele

In the chords exercise (level 6) you’ll be strumming along with the acoustic guitars. Remember that as a rhythm player you should let the drums and bass support you to keep you in the pocket!

In the melody exercise (level 7) you’ll be playing along with the main vocal melody, as well as the guitar solo!

Moonlight Shadow for Bass
by: Antti Halmetoja, Bass content specialist

In the basic bassline exercise (level 2) you’ll get to play the main elements of this beautiful 80’s song. The rhythm is simple but you have to change position many times, so focus on fingerings!

The full bassline exercise (level 8) includes the originally recorded bassline. The song is quite simple to play except for a couple of fast slides here and there to look out for!

Moonlight Shadow for Singing
by: Sonja Patrikainen, Music Education Designer for Singing

Here’s a really nice classic for everyone to learn! It has a nice flowing melody that leaves room for breathing, and it’s fun to sing on your own or with a friend! When you’re learning this song, pay attention to some of the melody runs and arpeggios at the end of phrases. Those parts are a nice challenge for practicing accuracy with pitch and timing.