Learn how to play "Mr. Tambourine Man" by Bob Dylan on the acoustic guitar!

We'll learn how to play it the right way so it sounds as close as possible to Dylan's original record! Like many of his songs, Mr. Tambourine Man is a little quirk. Many people miss it and end up playing the song incorrectly. But it's not difficult to play correctly, and it sounds better. What is that quirk? Let's find out. :)

Mr. Tambourine Man by Bob Dylan – Tuning And Capo

First, this tune is in drop D tuning and uses a capo at fret 3. Make sure your guitar is in tune (in standard tuning), then move the thickest string down one tone to a D. You can do this with a chromatic tuner or by using the open D string as a reference.

Since string 4 is an octave higher than the retuned string 6, you should hear the sound of an octave when you play one after the other. Adjust string 6 until you find that sound.

🎸 Here's how you get to Drop D Tuning! And remember, don't be afraid of retuning your guitar. :)

Now put your capo at fret 3. If using a chromatic tuner, you should retune the strings with the capo on. The notes on your chromatic tuner are F, C, F, Bb/A#, D, and G. :)

Mr. Tambourine Man – Intro

The intro is four bars of D (000232), using the rhythm 1 2 3 + 4 +. Target the bass notes on beats 1 and 3. One huge advantage of drop D tuning is that we can strum all six strings on a D chord – they're all part of the chord!

In this song, a common embellishment on the D chord is to lift off finger 2 on the "+" after 3 and beat 4 (000230). Add it again on the "+" after 4. This is a sus2 embellishment.

Mr. Tambourine Man – Song Structure

Like most of Bob Dylan's songs, this one isn't an exact science. He plays different structures nearly every time, so we'll cover a general one. To learn all the details, you need to listen to him and figure them out yourself! Here comes the big quirk. :)

Mr. Tambourine Man – Chorus

Here's the key to this song, the detail that most guitarists miss: the G/B chord! The first chord of the choruses and verses is a G/B (X20003). I use fingers 1 and 3 or 4, muting string 6 with the tip of finger 1. This gives the song its unique sound.

🧐 Drop D Chord Grips – In drop D tuning, Bob Dylan often plays a G chord as 5X0003 using fingers 1 and 3. This is an open G in standard tuning with the note on string 6 two frets higher.

Remember, we're in drop D tuning – don't play the thickest string at fret 3 like you would for an ordinary G chord. It'll sound strange! Make sure to play G/B.

We stay on G/B for one bar, then move to A (X02220), then D, G/B, D, G/B, A, A. Bob Dylan often adds a sus4 embellishment on the final bar of A. Add little finger to fret 3 of string 2 to get Asus4 (X02230).

The second part of the chorus uses the same chords, except for the final A, which is a D. Another two bars of D follow. Bob Dylan often adds Dsus2 (000230) and Dsus4 (000233) embellishments here.

Mr. Tambourine Man – Verses

The verses are the same as the choruses, except we have one or two extra bars of D and G. In folk music, the music is way more important than the structure. Often you'll find chord progressions that are extended so that the story fits. It's super helpful to use a lyrics sheet with the chords written above the words.

💡 Embellish, but not too much – This song is great for adding your own embellishments. But be careful – using too many embellishments is like adding too much spice to your food! Use them sparingly, tastefully.

The first part of the verse is G/B, A, D, G/B, D, G/B, D, G/B, A, A; then we go G/B, A, D, G/B, D, G/B, D, G/B, D, G/B, A, A. Note that the second sequence is the same as the first, but with an extra bar of D and G/B.

Mr. Tambourine Man – Tricky Parts

As for the overall structure of the song, it goes the chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus, verse, chorus. The tricky part is learning all of the words!

🎶 Write Out The Lyrics! It's easy to find the lyrics online and print them off, but you miss a huge opportunity! Write the lyrics by hand and write the chords above. That'll help you remember them – a printer doesn't. :)

It's easy to get muddled by all the D to G/B chords. Remember: after cycling between D and G/B, you always move to A. Mark the change on your lyrics sheet with a highlighter. And trust that with practice, you'll become ultra-familiar with the song. :)

Have loads of fun with this Bob Dylan tune – make sure to put your guitar in drop D and play the G/B chord instead of G! This gives the song its unique sound, and your playing will sound authentic. See you for more song lessons real soon. :)

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