Harvest Moon Piano Chords & Patterns

Learn Harvest Moon in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

1
Chords: Dsus4 – D – Dsus4 – D
Harvest Moon sits in D major: D is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: Dsus4 is D, G and A; D is D, F# and A. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.
Dsus4Isus4DIDsus4Isus4DI
- Dsus4D · G · A
- DD · F# · A
37 songs go round the same chords
2
Left hand: Heartbeat octaves
Low, high, low, high: a bouncing heartbeat. Musicians call it rocking octaves (rocking octaves), an easy pattern heard in thousands of songs of the library.
Heartbeat octavesRocking octaves · RockLeft handEasy
3
Right hand: Running-late chords
Misses beat 1, then hurries in with busy chords around the beats. It moves with the chords, so it fits every bar of the loop.
Running-late chordsSyncopated chords · PopRight handMedium
4
Both hands at 100 BPM
Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.
5
Ending: D – Dsus4 – D
The last chords are I – Isus – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.
DDsus4D

What chords are in Harvest Moon?

The loop is Dsus4 – D – Dsus4 – D (Isus – I – Isus – I) in D major, and the song ends on D – Dsus4 – D.

What key is Harvest Moon in?

D major, at about 100 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Harvest Moon?

Heartbeat octaves: rocking octaves, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Harvest Moon easy to play on piano?

It is a medium one: learn the 4 chords as blocks first, then add the left hand, then the right, slowly.