I was amazed at how many requests I got for this song!

I mean, I love Old Man by Neil Young too, but I hadn't realized what a huge song it is for so many of you! So, I guess many of us feel the sentiment for our dads. Interestingly Neil wrote this song about the old caretaker on his ranch when he first bought it, not his father!

If you're following my Guitar Courses, Old Man is a great song for Grade 5+ Students. Many things are going on on this tune, so it's definitely a trickier one to play. To help you out, I've got this monster song lesson - it's 28 minutes of detail about playing this one, just like the record. :) Hope you dig it!

Now let's get stuck in.

How to play Old Man by Neil Young

We'll learn this song in three sections: the intro, the verses, and the course. Some improvising things are happening in the verses, so you'll be able to move your fingers around and have some fun. We'll go into a full close-up in the video tutorial and understand exactly what's going on.

This tune uses some suspended chords that sound lovely! The pick patterns will demand some practice, and it'll help you a big deal to be really familiar with this song. Playing guitar is all about listening, so make sure you take the time to develop your ears. That will help you with all your musicianship.

There are really loads of stuff going on here, so I want to mention a few things to help you nail Old Man on the acoustic guitar!

5 Tips on Playing Old Man by Neil Young

Old Man has a 16th Note Strumming feeling, but I'll explain it as an 8th Note Strumming. It'll be a lot easier for both of us.

Like many Neil Young songs, you really have to keep your strumming hand consistent. That's a big deal here - strum down on the beat and up on the downbeat.

Be aware of the palm muting. It's essential to get it right to have the same vibe as the original recording. The easiest way of doing it is by resting the side of your strumming hand slightly on the strings, close to your guitar's bridge. This won't happen all the time, though, so you must be aware of when you should let your strings sound perfectly as well. Think about some bouncing.

You'll need hammer-ons and flick-offs to play this song! Check out my Legato Experiments lesson for some extra tips and exercises.

Practice makes permanent. Don't expect to nail the entire song at once. Learn it in chunks, and observe your mistakes. There's no point in practice something that's not right, so make sure you're playing what needs to be played!

Enjoy the process. Learning songs like Old Man helps you develop your musicianship entirely. Don't rush. Take breaks if you need to, and whenever you have a question - drop a comment in the Discussion section, and I'm sure you'll get some help! :)

Want chords, tabs, and lyrics to follow along with my song tutorials? Check out JustinGuitar Tabs!