"Knockin' on Heaven's Door" Beginner Guitar Tutorial (Patreon)

Hello friends,

Today I reworked the PDF study guide to my 2016 lesson on Bob Dylan's "Knockin' On Heaven's Door." My hope is that you will walk away from this tutorial with a few new chords, strumming techniques and an idea of how to solo over this type of chord progression. The solo I performed in this demonstration had a few important elements that, in my opinion, lend to a great guitar solo:

• Use of space - It's always good include a few beats of silence between your licks.
• Use of repetition - Your audience will appreciate a theme or motif beging present throughout your solo. This is why I performed the same lick in the beginning and end.
• An ascending crescendo - Memorable solos often start off simple, featuring basic licks and lower tones. As the energy builds, it is common to add more flourishes as you begin climbing up into the higher notes.
• I followed the chord progression - Many times throughout the solo, I made sure that my licks ended with the root note of the chord present in the rhythm section. This technique will give your solos a sense of direction.

So, consider these ideas the next time you write a lead part and be sure to practice singing your lines before figuring them out on the fretboard. Your goal is to build a connection between your mind, your voice, and your fingers. Thanks so much for watching, enjoy a great week of progress! -Rob

Strumming Techniques:

Note: Perform an upstroke on strums that focus on the upper three strings (E,B,G).

Basic Approach:

Embellished Variation:

This is the pattern discussed in the instructional segment of this video.

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