Knockin' On Heaven's Door

Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door is a folk-gospel song written by Bob Dylan for the 1973 film Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid, in which he also starred. It was released as a single two months after film’s premiere, and became one of Dylan’s most popular songs of the 70’s.

The song tells the story of the scene for which it was written; the death of Sheriff Baker, who is calling out to his wife.

Knocking On Heaven’s Door is a great song for beginners, it was one of the first songs I learnt! It has a simple strumming pattern, and only uses four chords; G, D, Am7 and C. Am7 is played like a C chord, without the 3rd finger.

Pictured is a chord diagram of Am7, played with your 1st finger on the 2nd string 1st fret, 2nd finger on the 4th string 2nd fret. Strum from the 5th string down.

We’ll start by learning the strumming pattern with a G chord. If you use your 2nd, 3rd and 4th finger to play the G, it will be easier to move between the C and G. To start, we will do a single down strum on the 1st and 3rd beat of every bar. Counting out loud may help you keep in time.

Now try moving between the chords. The verse and chorus are played with the same chord progression of G, D, Am7, Am7, G, D, C, C. When playing the D, make sure you’re only strumming the first four strings, or it won’t sound right.

Pictured are sleeves from a Japanese pressing of the Pat Garrett and Billy the Kid Soundtrack. Featuring Bob Dylan, Kris Kristofferson and James Coburn in stills from the film, as well as a tracklist in english and japanese.

Once you have gotten the hang of this, try replacing the last bar of every line with a down up down up down down pattern. This will sound more like the original version and will also make it more interesting for you to play.

If this pattern is too hard for you, stick to the single strums, as the vocals are the standout of the song. The timing of the vocals can be tricky; the first line of vocals doesn’t start until the second strum, or the third beat of the first bar. It’s best to listen to the song to practise this.

Once you get the hang of this, you’re away! Knockin’ On Heaven’s Door is a great song to sing by yourself or with a group.

Here is a chord sheet I made…

Watch the full lesson here…