Guitar Tabs ExplorerGuns N' Roses - “Knockin on heavens door“ Guitar tab
Guns n' roses version of "Knockin' on Heaven's Door" is well known but the song was originally written and performed by Bob Dylan. Guns n' roses have released several different versions, both live and in the studio. These Guns n' roses Knocking on heavens door guitar tabs are for the studio recording from their Use your illusion album.
Slash and company did some changes to both music and lyrics, not unlike Bob Dylan who also have many different versions. The story is about a dying sheriff and both Guns n' roses and Bob Dylan recorded it for a western movie soundtrack. Guns n' roses climbed all the way up to the second spot on the British single charts with the song in 1992. The tabber to the song says that he include his own rendition of Slash's first solo in this transcription. It should be fairly accurate. As we all know, Slash did always change his solos, so improvise and don't feel to bounded to the tabs when playing these Guns n' Roses Knocking on heavens door guitar tabs.
Related pages are Knockin on heavens door chords, November rain acoustic chords, Paradise city tabs, Sweet child o mine tabs, Its so easy tabs. See all Guns N' Roses tabs. Submit corrected and missing guitar tab here.Key: H - hammer-on
/ - slide
P - pull-off
^ - half bend
^^ - full bend
~ - vibrato
This is the picking at the very beginning of the song. The picking varies
throughout, and you should do whatever feels best instead of trying to
restrict yourself to how it sounds on record. GN'R is constantly mutating
this song in concert anyway (even doing it with a reggae beat).
G5 D C
-3---3--------------2-0-------|-----------------0--------------------|--------
-3-----3---3------3-----3---3-|----------1--------------1------------|--------
-0-------0------2---------2---|-0------0---0----------0---0-0------0-|--------
-0------------0---------------|-0-2----------2------2-------0-2------|--------
------------------------------|--H---3-----------------------H---3---|--------
-3----------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------
This is the picking for the first line. Again, the picking will vary
throughout the song.
G5 D Am
-3--------------2-------2-0-------|-0-----H-------0----------------------|
-3---3-------3--3-------3-------0-|-1----0-1-------------1---------------|
-0---0-----0----2----2-------2----|-2--2-----2---------2---2------0---0--|
-0---0-----0----0----0------------|-2----------2-----2-------0-2----2----|
----------------------------------|-0-------------------------H----------|
-3--------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
Song goes like this:
Intro:
Twice with picking G5 D C
Twice just power chords G5 D C
Verse 1 (with picking)
G5 D Am
Mamma take this ...
G5 D C
I can't use ...
G5 D Am
It's getting dark, ...
G5 D C
Feels like I'm knockin' on ...
Chorus (if you're really concerned about playing it like the
CD, listen to it for rhythm. But this song has been done by so
many people so differently that you might as well give it your own
feel.)
G5 D5 C5
Knock, knock, knockin'...
C5
Hey, hey, hey, hey...
G5 D5 C5
Knock, knock, ...
C5
(no lyrics)
G5 D5 C5
Ooh, knock, knock, ...
C5
Ooh yeah
G5 D5 C5
Knock, knock, ...
C5
Hey, hey, hey...
First Guitar Solo
G D C
------------------------------------------------------
----^^---P---------15--^------~~~~~~~~~~~~------------
-12-14-14-12-14-------14-12-12-------------------12---
------------------------------------------13/14-------
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
G D C
---------------P------------P--------P------------------15----
15/17---15---13-12-13/15--13-12---13--12----------12-13----13-
-------------------------------------------~~~~~~~------------
-----------------------------------------14-------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
G ^^ D ^^ ^^ C
--~~~-------15-17--17--17--17--15-----------------------------
12---15/17----------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
G ^^ ^^ D C
--20-20-19-20--19-20--20-20-20---~~~~~----------------------------------
-------P-----------------------17------^^----^^-------------------------
---------------------------------------19-19-19-19-^-----^--------------
---------------------------------------------------19-19-19-19----------
---------------------------------------------------------------17--17---
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional lyrics:
Mama, put my guns in the ...
Basically there are lots of "knockin' on heaven's door"s throughout the rest
This is one of GUNS N' ROSES best song if you ask me.
I saw that no one had tabbed the second solo so I did as
well as the rest of the song. If you have any questions,
Comments, additions, or Corrections feel free to e-mail
them to me.
P.S. Tune your guitar down half a step.
Riff 1:-used in intro and the verses.
E|--3----3----------0---------------0--------------|
B|--3-----3-3--3---3-3-----------1---1--1----------|
G|--0------0---2--2---2-----------0---0--0------0--|
D|--X----------0-------0--0h2-2----2-------0h2-2---|
A|--2---------------------0h3--------------0h3-----|
E|--3----------------------------------------------|
E|-------3-----------0-----------------------||
B|--------3-3-------3-3------1----1--1-1-----||
G|--0------0---0h2-2---2-------0---0--0-0----||
D|--x----------0--------0---2---2---2----2---||
A|--2---------------------3------3--------3--||
E|--3----------------------------------------||
Riff 2:-used in intro and the choruses.
G D C C
E|-----|-----|-----|-----|
B|-----|-----|-----|-----|
G|--4--|--7--|--5--|--5--|
D|--5--|--7--|--5--|--5--|
A|--5--|--5--|--3--|--3--|
E|--3--|-----|-----|-----|
Solo 1:
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------15-------------------------15/17--15--|
G|--12-14brp12-14-----14br-1212~~~---------12------------|
D|--------------------------------------/14--------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------15----------15-|
B|-13p12-13/15---13p12-13---12--------1213--1312---/17---|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------14-------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-17br17---17br17br15-------22--20192019-22--20-2020----|
B|---------------------------------------------------17--|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------15--||
B|--15brbr----------------||
G|----------14brbr--12----||
D|------------------------||
A|------------------------||
E|------------------------||
Solo 2:
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|--19b~~~~~~~r-19---19brp17-19-1717----20-17--20-17br---|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------16---18b-18p16-|
B|-1517--1517--------1517---------------13--16-----------|
G|-----------------------------------/13-----------------|
D|-----17----19br1719----19br19br17----------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-1618P161620192022b--20192022b--20192022b-22b22b-------|
B|------------------------------------------------2022b--|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|--2022br-202222b-202220--20~~---2019----19br-17191717--|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|-2017--17~~15~~12~~~~~~--------------------------------|
G|------------------------12~--11~---11br-9~---7---5/4---|
D|----------------------------------------------------5--|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
Here's The Order:
RIFF 1 (00:00) 1X
RIFF 2 (OO:15) 2X
RIFF 1 (OO:30) 2X
RIFF 2 (00:59) 4X
SOLO 1 (O1:29) 1X
RIFF 1 (01:59) 2X
RIFF 2 (02:27) 4X-play all the way through the solo until 3:54
SOLO 2 (02:56) 1X
RIFF 2 (04:51) 4x
I include the second guitar solo in the Song "Knocking on heavens door" by
Guns 'n' Roses from their album "Use your illusion II". It must be really
accutate - i've played it along with the original record and could here
no difference. Still, if you have any suggestions, feel free to email me at
uzsymm@uni-bonn.de.
Key:
\ - slide down
P - pull-off
^ - half bend
^^ - full bend
...- hold bend
(n)- pick at fret n while still holding the bend
^(n)- prebend string and pick then at the specified fret
r - release bend
~ - vibrato
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|--19^~~~~~r-19~~-19^rp17-19p17-17~----20-17~-20-17br---|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|-------------20----------------------------------------|
G|--15-17------------------------------------------------|
D|---------19^...(19)r19-17-19~-19-17-19^19^r17----------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------201920^^-201920^^-------|
B|--------20-----22^^22-19-22-19-------------------------|
G|-----16----19------------------------------------------|
D|--17---------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-201920-22^^-22^^r--------22---------------------------|
B|-------------------20-22^^..(22)r-2022-^^(22)r--202220-|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|--19^~~(19)r~~-19^rp17--19p17~--20-17~-20-17~----------|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|--20-17------------------------------------------------|
G|--------19-17-19-16~--16~~~\12~~\11~~11^r\9~~7~~\5\4p0-|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
Have fun!
Tasho
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