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CHORD CLINIC

CHORD CLINIC
HOW TO PLAY CHORDS LIKE BOB DYLAN PART2

WORDS ROD FOGG

In the second part of our examination of Bob Dylan’s use of The subsequent amphetamine-fuelled
chords, we dive into what happened when he went electric, dates are legendary for the hostile responses
and the interesting twists it added to his standard repertoire they provoked from folk purists, typified
by the infamous “Judas” moment at the
s we learnt in part one, Bob Dylan’s In 1965, Dylan was looking for a backing Manchester Free Trade Hall in May 1966.
unique take on chords has long been group for his first 'electric' tour of the USA. But when Dylan wasn’t getting heckled,
one of the most recognisable facets His search led him to the Canadian-American his chordal progressions mutated into new
A of his unparalleled back catalogue. roots outfit that became known as The Band. but no less compelling forms.

FIGURE 1

This distinctive eight-bar sequence begins with both a high pedal note and a chromatic bassline, where the top string’s G pedal note is present in the first three chords,
and the bassline moves fret by fret. You could experiment with F/A and Fm/Ab and allow the chromatic line to run all the way down to C/G, though it’s arguably more
Dylan-esque to go for the solid F chord. Pay attention to the Xs on the low E string. The string can usually be muted by whichever finger is on the A string.

C G/B Gm/B ♭ F

X O X O O X O O
1 1 1 1 1

2 2 2

3 4 3 4 3 4 3 4

♭
C E G C G B D G D G B D G D G F C F A C F
♭
1 3 5 1 5 3 5 1 5 1 3 5 1 5 1 1 5 1 3 5 1

Fm C D G

X O O X X O X O O O

1 1 1 1

2 1 2

3 4 3 3 3 4

♭ ♯
F C F A C F C E G C E D A D F G D G B G
1 5 1 ♭ 3 5 1 1 3 5 1 3 1 5 1 3 1 5 1 3 1

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