So that’s the melody line nailed, so now onto your next chord, A minor, which, along with the G, D and C chords you have already learnt, will allow you to play this Dylan Classic.
OK, so let’s look at the chord in more detail. The A minor is shortened to Am (as you can see from the song structure and chords) and consists of the following notes – A, E, C.
As far as the strings are concerned:
Bottom E string: Not usually played
A string: Open – A (Known as the root note i.e. the lowest “A” note played as part of the chord)
D string: 2nd fret – E
G String: 2nd fret – A
B String: 1st fret – C
Top E: Open E
Hold the notes of the chord down so each one rings out clearly and then warm up by playing some downstrokes and upstrokes so you can start to “feel” the chord. Remember not to press too hard and use your thumb as leverage to help you exert the necessary pressure. Now you know all the chords necessary to play Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door –The sequence being:
G…..D…..Am…..G…..D…..C……(Taken from a live recording of the song)
Right then – let’s dive into the song.
