All Along The Watchtower – Lesson on Guitar and Harmonica – Quick Facts
- Written by Bob Dylan while he was recuperating from his life threatening motorcycle accident in 1966
- Recorded at Columbia Studios in Nashville on November 5, 1967 and first appearing on the 1967 release, John Wesley Harding.
- Covered by numerous artists, the most famous by Jimi Hendrix on Electric Ladyland, whose version is rated 48th in Rolling Stone’s 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
All Along The Watchtower – Guitar Chords, Lyrics, Harmonica Tabs
All Along The Watchtower music and lyrics are property and copyright of their owners and provided for educational purposes and personal use only.
The following is my transcription of my version of this awesome song.
Guitar Chords throughout – Am G F G Am
Intro Harmonica Solo
-6 | 7 6 | -6
7 6 | -6 -6 6 6 -5 -5 |
5 4 -4 5 | -5 5 4 -4 5 |
-5 5 4 -4 4
Verse 1
There must be some way out of here
-6 -6 -6 -6 -6 7 6 -6
Said the joker to the thief
-6 -6 7 6 6 6 -6
There’s too much confusion
-6 -6 -6 -6 7 6 -6
I can’t get no relief
-6 -6 7 6 6 -6
Businessmen, they drink my wine
8 8 -8 7 8 6 -6
Plowmen dig my earth
-6 -6 7 6 -6
None of them along the line know what
-6 -6 -6 -6 7 6 -6 6 6
Any of it is worth.
-6 -6 7 6 6 -6
Verse 2
No reason to get excited
-6 -6 -6 -6 -6 7 -6
The thief he kindly spoke
-6 -6 -6 7 6 -6
There are many here among us
-6 -6 -6 -6 -6 7 -8
Who feel that life is but a joke
-6 -6 -6 7 6 6 6 -6
But you and I, we’ve been through that
8 -8 7 -8 7 8 6 -6
And this is not our fate
-6 -6 -6 7 6 -6
So let us not talk falsely now
-6 -6 -6 -6 -6 7 6 -6
The hour is getting late.
-6 -6 -6 7 -8 7 8
Verse 3
All along the watchtower
9 8 -8 7 8 6 -6
Princes kept the view
-6 -6 7 6 -6
While all the women came and went
-6 -6 -6 -6 -6 7 6 -6
Barefoot servants, too.
-6 -6 7 6 -6
Outside in the cold distance
8 8 -8 7 7 8 -6
A wildcat did growl
-6 -6 7 6 -6
Two riders were approaching
-6 -6 -6 7 -7 8 8
And the wind began to howl.
-6 -6 8 8 -8 7 8
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Video Transcription
Hi George here. Welcome to this video where I show you how to play All Along The Watchtower by Bob Dylan on guitar and harmonica.
So let’s start off with the guitar chords. There’s three chords, nice and easy. We start of in A minor, then G, and F. Then it will go back to G to A minor and goes around and around.
Ok, so let’s figure out the rhythm to that. So, it’s 1, 2, 3, &, 4, &, &, 2, &, 4, &. All the way through, around and around so that once you’ve got that, you’re good, you get the song.
We are in the key of A minor which is the relative minor to the key of C, so I am playing a C harmonica – Hohner Special 20, key of C.
So, let’s just rip through this and I will put the harmonica on and I will just play through some of the melody and put the tabs on the website and all that so you can follow along there. Ok? Let’s see how this all works out. 1, 2, 3, 4.
Alright, Bob Dylan’s All Along The Watchtower
– key of A minor
– three chords – A minor, G and F
– C diatonic harmonica
– Super song
– Quick and easy to learn
So, I hope you can use that to put that together to create your own version.
Thanks for watching. Please share the video with your friends, like the video, pass it around. Right on!
Thanks again for watching. See you next time. Peace.
Where the numbers to play the harmonica that part (3:48)? Someone can help
me please! I entered in the site but I don’t know which part is that.
I could listen that intro all day..fuckin brilliant
thank you!
Very good !!! thanks
great for listening and learning
Guitar in A minor, if a G harp is 3rd position, then what position is the C
harp playing in?
Too much fun! I’m a new fan and subscriber! Thanks!
you my good sir are what we call fucking talented! thank you!
Thanks for sharing chords for Watchtower. My band recently used this tune
as a soundcheck song while trying out some new recording gear. The Symbols
COVER All Along the Watchtower
Thanks George,I appreciate that you included the text–I read it first then sat back, followed the chord progression, and listened to you play. It is a great song, kind of mysterious. You do a nice presentation.
His version of the song is so underappreciated! Really digging it.
where are the 4 solo of the song?
where are the other solo of the song?
there is 4 solo of harmonica and on the web site, there is only the first one
i cant see the web site Under the video???
I have the same name and surname as u lol
Hello George – check this out: Award-winning HarpArm Magnetic Harmonica Holder HarpArm dot com. Please contact me if you have any questions!
Great video and a great song to practice your barre chords. Another way to play is an Am barre as >5-7-7-5-5-5, slide the 2 frets up and add the 4th string forming a G as >3-5-5-4-3-3 and finally 2 frets up again same form for an F as >1-3-3-2-1-1. Hope you find it helpful =)
Hey George ! can you please tell me which Harmonica did Bob Dylan used , i mean Hohner C dur or something like ?? i dont know ??
This instrument is so decent for the price a I found it is good quality and I like it a lot.
here is the link to it in case anyone is interested:amzn.to\17GIBCn
Savage! Great version- deadly!
Thanks man
Hell yeah man, you rock!!
Hey, George. I like all your videos, Is there a chart that a person can get to show you what harmonica to use for the key you are playing in ? what if you are tuned down a whole step, and I find that I have to do this often. and I wanted to ask if you are playing what is considered cross harp,or straight harp.
go away!!!
I thought this was Jimmi’s song. Very nice
I gotta learn F chord 🙁 haha
Hi Kolton. I have updated my website with the intro harp tabs but here they are here:
-6 | 7 6 | -6
7 6 | -6 -6 6 6 -5 -5
5 4 -4 5 | -5 5 4 -4 5
-5 5 4 -4 4
Hope that helps.
Do you think you could tab out that improvised intro? I’m having trouble getting it by ear.
Thanks George man, best video out there for All Along the watch tower. Favorite song, still getting the hang of the guitar but i will make my fingers bleed so I can play this one!!!
korrekt
Dude I love your stuff! Just waiting on my harp at the moment, its in the key of G though.. How would I transpose this? could I use a capo perhaps? Thanks
Very cool
Fantastic! I’ve just ordered a harmonica holder and I’m using your guitar chords on my Ukulele. Thanks so much for the lesson!
2 jokers couldn’t find their way outta here
Works well using barre chords – Am on 5th, G on 3rd and F on 1st as normal. Probably easier to grab the rhythm needed using these. Dunno if it changes the pitch of the harp required???
Thanks Sensei!!!!;)
Great song, great cover too.
Cheers for this 🙂 sound
Yeah thank you 🙂
Basically, yes but I am anticipating the F chord.
Am for 2 beats, G for 1 1/2 beats, then F comes in on the & of 4.
Make sense?
Cheers
Just 2 beats per chord correct?
Hi Rea. You’re very welcome. Thank you.
Very beautiful.
Thank you so much 😀
freaking cool! 😀
This is my interpretation. I have transposed the song from C# minor to A minor so that the song can be played with open chords as opposed to using bar chords or a capo.
I have also lowered the key to make it easier to sing ( at least for me).
I just checked and see that Dave Matthews also plays this in A minor.
Cheers, George
The problem with using a G harmonica is that the improvised melody that I play off the top has an F natural in it but the G harmonica has an F#. This is my own invention though and isn’t in the original recording
You can play the original’s melody with a G harmonica however since it doesn’t include an F.
Eg.
There must be someway out of here
-8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -8 -9 7 -8…
Good lesson, i really like to play it that way. but is it actually how it is played by bob dylan or your interpretation? don’t get me wrong i like both, i just wanna know
Can I use a G harmonica?
Mate, this is such a brilliant video, this and the River by Bruce are great.
Truly great for us guys trying to get started, clear, concise, patient instructions.
Hope to see some more Bruce lessons from you as so little on the web.
Maybe, blood brothers, this hard land or an acoustic no surrender?
Could listen all day.
Thank you brother all the way from New Zealand.
Hi Reon.
Wow, great comment. Thank you.
I’m glad my lessons are getting the message across. It’s always a concern that I’m going too fast or not explaining something clearly.
More Bruce, eh? Sounds like a plan.
Stay tuned.
Cheers, George
It’s just an improvised solo beginning.
what is the song of the intro?!?!
I feel like mainly these lessons are an opportunity for you to just do your covers of the song. Nothing wrong with that, but that’s just my interpretation. Not bad though.
Hey, i’ve just done my first attempt at covering Bob’s “don’t think twice it’s alright” – Vid’s on my channel and would really appreciate any feedback!
thanks! your the man for showing harmonica AND guitar! impressive. keep on rockn’ my friend! peace and love.
I’m sorry, but it seems to me that Bob Dylan plays it with a capo 4th fret… Listen to the song and you’ll see the difference… However, thanks a lot for this lesson 😉
Thanx a tonne for ds lesson sir.. 😀 I have been learning guitar for a year and a half now and was about to do a cover of a Dylan classic though i wasnt sure which song to start with.. I wanted to begin wid this song coz itz very close to my heart and ur video helped a lot.. I corrected my inprovisations and associated errors and now m good to go.. Thanks agn.. 🙂 U r great.. 🙂
thanks for posting this, I have been trying to get a demo of the Bob Dylan rythm for a long time. Everyone seems only be interested in the Jimi version. For now that is out of my league, I have only just started on the barre chords, and am still doing a cheat version of the f.
hi george could you do a cover /lesson off like a hurrican by neil young please would be great. cheers chris
You are welcome. Thanks for checking it out. Peace, George
Great thanks for the lessons.
this so wicked great job
You’re welcome. Yeah the F chord is a bitch. Keep working it out.
Cheers, George
I would feel really confident now playing Harmonica to this , played it loads of times,but now im gonna blow as well thanks mate..
Right On. I’m glad you’re getting something out of these videos.
Cheers
i say good..and guitar is good too
I really like your performance and song tutorial !! I’m 12 and playing guitar and piano and recently started to play harmonica. I can’t get the same tune from the harmonica following you tabs. May be you can post a short video how you play just harmonica part for this song. Thanks
Thanks
very good
Hi VH Fan. It’s a Takamine EG541SC acoustic electric
What guitar is that? It looks a lot like mine. I have a black Takamine jumbo made entirely of flame maple
Hi butteryassbutter. That’s quite the handle. The harmonica tabs for the melody to the song are on my website. The link is right below the video. The solo is mostly just a rehash of the melody. Anything that is different is just something I made up on the spot and would probably end up playing differently the next time around. I hope that’s what you’re looking for. Cheers, George
[..YouTube..] Hey George ! I’m new with the guitar, but i could play this song thanks you 🙂 but there is still one problem, i don’t know how to sing and play in the same time, i hope you could help me, and tell me how to do it 😀 bye, thanks a lot.
[..YouTube..] Love this song !
But the voice you’ve got when you are singing is an horrible imitation of dylan’s voice 😉
[..YouTube..] Awsome period!!!!!
[..YouTube..] Awsome period!!!!!
[..YouTube..] @GeorgeGoodmanDotCom Thanks… I got to the point of understanding that by more practiciing of what you have there. It’s late in life for me to start trying to learn guitar, but better late than never!
Thanks again for your videos – they are well done and helpful to learn from.
Would you do ‘John Wesley Harding’ by Dylan sometime? Other good ones are ‘One More Night’ and the one that begins, ‘Bring that Bottle over Here’. I always liked that album.
[..YouTube..] @GeorgeGoodmanDotCom Thanks… I got to the point of understanding that by more practiciing of what you have there. It’s late in life for me to start trying to learn guitar, but better late than never!
Thanks again for your videos – they are well done and helpful to learn from.
Would you do ‘John Wesley Harding’ by Dylan sometime? Other good ones are ‘One More Night’ and the one that begins, ‘Bring that Bottle over Here’. I always liked that album.
Go for it
[..YouTube..] @vxvid The rhythm as written is an example of a possible strumming pattern to use for the song.
If adding the &3 helps, then by all means, do it. When you’re comfortable with that, then experiment with different rhythms.
I’m always changing up the rhythms to add interest.
Cheers, George
[..YouTube..] @vxvid The rhythm as written is an example of a possible strumming pattern to use for the song.
If adding the &3 helps, then by all means, do it. When you’re comfortable with that, then experiment with different rhythms.
I’m always changing up the rhythms to add interest.
Cheers, George
I’ve learned a lot from this – it’s been really helpful, but…isn’t that rhythm not written quite right? It shows a silent (&3) in the second segment, but to me it seems like no silent (&3), but instead an extra down-up on the last G before returning to Am. I’m a novice and doubt myself, but it’s the only way I can make it work. Tried to see what you had about it on your website, but it wouldn’t load. Thanks for the video.
[..YouTube..] I’ve learned a lot from this – it’s been really helpful, but…isn’t that rhythm not written quite right? It shows a silent (&3) in the second segment, but to me it seems like no silent (&3), but instead an extra down-up on the last G before returning to Am. I’m a novice and doubt myself, but it’s the only way I can make it work.
Tried to see what you had about it on your website, but it wouldn’t load.
Thanks for the video.
[..YouTube..] you should do blowin in the wind by bob dylan.
[..YouTube..] you should do blowin in the wind by bob dylan.
[..YouTube..] @SkateboardJared Excellent
[..YouTube..] @SkateboardJared Excellent
now me and my friend can play this! i play harmonica 🙂
[..YouTube..] now me and my friend can play this! i play harmonica 🙂
[..YouTube..] now me and my friend can play this! i play harmonica 🙂
[..YouTube..] fantastic. Thanks
[..YouTube..] fantastic. Thanks
[..YouTube..] Way to go George!! Sounds great!! Joey Vaughan “World Blues Attack”
[..YouTube..] Way to go George!! Sounds great!! Joey Vaughan “World Blues Attack”
[..YouTube..] right on george.
[..YouTube..] right on george.