I've just learned "knockin on heavens door" because everyone said it was a nice easy song for a begginer, which it is. I used Guitar Pro mostly to get the chords and strumming. But what I have realized is that the version I learned is the Bob Dylan version, when really the version I know is the Gn'R version ( I haven't got the greatest ear yet ). When I play this song around the camp fire, will my friends that know the Gn'R version recognize the song. Is there something I can do to make it sound more like the Gn'R version without learning it all over again? The way I play it now is -
G - d d d du
D - dudud du
Am7 - d d d du udududu
G - d d d du
D- dudud du
C - d d d du udududu
X 5
I can look back with a smile, knowing that my ambition far exceeded my talent.
Try the example towards the bottom of the page.
http://www.grouptherapy.guernsey.net/strumming.html
Sorry, I can't resist this... Hire Slash to play a country jig in the background and sing in really gruff voice.
Seriously, the GnR version is the same as Dylan wrote it except for the electrics and some of the cool "filling and leading" stuff that can be done when you happen to have more than one guitarist around. Besides, most folks recognise a song by the melody line.
Easiest way to get it to sound like the Guns version - Tune your guitar to E standard down half a step (E flat, A flat, D flat, etc.). Then play your open chords like normal. Then proceed to learn Sweet Child O' Mine, Patience, Don't Cry. If you know any other songs that are played in E Standard flat, then you can have a nice little list to practice.
The more fun way to do it - Power chords / barre chords. And instead of playing with the root at the 5th for the E chord, for example, play it at the 4th, as per the flat.
Henry Garza, Saul Hudson, and Darrell Abbott could not be here tonight, but they all had sex and are proud to announce the birth of their two-headed baby, Rodya S. Thompson.
- Paraphrased from the Tenacious D series
to sound like the GnR version you're going to have to do the picking/fills etc, simple as that. Tune it down a half or not, it doesn't matter around the campfire. Strumming it is a 3/4 chord bore, the fills make it interesting and fun to play/sing.
What other popular songs would be in E flat tuning? I found a Simple Man is in E flat and wondered what other popular tunes are done that way.
Anyone?
Denis
I havn't heard the GNR version in a while (used to be obsessed with it, but now I love the Clapton version) but isn't the GNR mainly finger picked for the verses?
