Hi Folks,

Today I’m going to teach you how to play “Knocking on heavens door” by Bob Dylan, also covered by Guns ‘n Roses. This is a great song to learn on the guitar and a “must” to have on your repertoire :)

It’s an easy version for beginners using open chords and a basic strumming pattern to make the learning process as smooth as possible.

How to Play “Knocking on heavens door” on Guitar

Knocking on heavens door is played with 4 chords: G – D – Am – C

You can learn the chords on The 8 Most Important Guitar Chords for Beginners

Here are two basic strumming patterns you can use to play the song:

Basic strumming pattern #1:
/ G ↓↓ D ↓↓ / Am ↓↓↓↓ / G ↓↓ D ↓↓ / C ↓↓↓↓ /

Basic strumming pattern #2:
/ G ↓↓↑ D ↓↓↑ / Am ↓↓↓↑↓↓↓↑ / G ↓↓ D ↓↓ / C ↓↓↓↑↓↓↓↑ /

Watch the video guitar lesson below to learn the entire song step by step.

Please share your feedback in the comments below or on Youtube. I read and reply to everyone of them. I’d love to hear from you!

Enjoy!