Knockin' On Heaven's Door (Ukulele)

Here's how to play Knocking On Heaven's Door by Bob Dylan, a simple four chord song on Ukulele!

Here we'll use the chords G major, D major, A minor and C major plus a simple strumming pattern, which will enable us to play this full song. The video includes a full song demo - so be sure to play along!

Before we start, take a look here at how we can tune the Ukulele! Here are the notes below:

• String 4 - G

• String 3 - C

• String 2 - E

• String 1 - A

Chords - Fretboard finger positions

Detailed below is the timing and beats we play for each chord in our simplified strumming progression:

• G major chord lasts for two beats.

• Two beats again for the D major chord.

• Then, 4 Beats on the A minor and C major when they appear in the progression.

All four strings are strummed for each chord. Where there is no fretted note, we play an open string to get that full chord sound.

• First finger - 2nd fret - String 3

• Second finger - 2nd fret - String 1

• Third finger - 3rd fret - String 2

All fingers for a D chord are on the 2nd fret

• Second finger - String 4

• First finger - String 3

• Third finger - String 2

Whichever finger is playing string 4 in the D major chord, will be the same finger on string 4 for our A minor chord. This helps us create quicker and smooth chord transitions.

• Second finger - 2nd fret - String 4

• Third finger - 3rd fret - String 1

Strumming tips

Using a pick or our first finger, the main strumming pattern for this song can be remembered as:

Down - Down - Down - Up - For the first two G and D major chords

Then: Down - Down - Down - Up - Up - Down - Up - Up - Down - Up - For the A minor and C major chords when they appear.

Any challenging strumming pattern can be best worked out by simply tapping along to the strumming and feeling it from a rhythm point of view.

Chord changing tips

Learning to change chords smoothly takes time. It is always a good idea to keep the chord making hand relaxed and loose to avoid having too much tension in the fingers.

Try hold the shape of the chord loosely over the strings and press the chord down with only the pressure that is needed to sound the chord out but also what feels comfortable for you.

Remember we can lift off slightly early, in this case on the last up-strum, to make sure we land the next chord on the beat!

Chord playing tips

• Use our finger tips, with fingers curling over to help us fret our chords and sound out the individual notes

• Place our fingers on the side of the fret closest to us

• Strum slightly in front of the sound hole, towards the headstock for a softer and more comfortable playing style