The Most Requested Song Lesson Ever is Here! 💪

Learn how to play the Guns N' Roses version of Knockin' On Heaven's Door on the electric guitar. This song is incredible, and it features awesome playing by Slash.

I got over a thousand requests for this tutorial in the last months. And I get it – there are tons of guitar layers on the original, and Slash is just incredible as always!

Although the chords are easy and beginners can play this song using easy, open chords, we'll be focusing on the electric guitar today. We'll check out the main parts and also some tips to help you get this right.

🚨 PRO-TIP! Use the chapters below the video lesson to navigate this long, detailed tutorial. And don't forget you can get verified tabs, chords and lyrics for this and all my other song tutorials! With Tabs, you learn faster – and accurately. ;)

Slash is amazing at picking out the chord tones in his solos, so we'll also look at what he does and why! Get yourself ready for some Harmonic Analysis. As you already know, understanding music is key to unlocking your full potential as a guitar player, and digging into the songs you love will help you get there and unveil your fretboard.

🚨 BEFORE WE GET STARTED!

TUNING: Eb

I forgot to mention it in the video, but this lesson is in Eb tuning! Please retune your guitar before getting started.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door – Basic Chords and Structure

We'll check out the exact picking for the iconic intro rhythm part but not for the whole song. Once you've mastered the intro part, you can improvise around it in the verses.

Let's look at the chords before we cover the picking. Knockin' On Heaven's Door uses 16th notes throughout. We start this part on a Rock G chord (3XXX33) for half a bar, using fingers 2, 3, and 4. We follow this with a standard open D chord (XX0232) for half a bar.

💡 Chord Embellishments – this song is packed with embellishments: extra notes outside the basic chord shapes. We cover the main ones for the D chord in my D Shape Explorer!

The first time around, we lift off finger 2, giving a Dsus2 (XX0230), and on the second repetition, we lift off finger 3 to get a D6sus2 (XX0200). Don't worry about that horrible name!

Now we move to a standard open C chord (X32010) for two bars. We use an embellishment on the C, lifting off finger 2 to reveal the open D string before hammering finger 2 on again. It is a common trick!

The verse chords are very similar – G, D, Am; G, D, C. There is a variation on Am too – Am7. It is the regular Am chord with our little finger added to fret 3 of string 1 (X02213).

💬 Join the Discussion! Don't forget you can chat in the Community and leave your questions and feedback.

And... let's go!

Knockin' On Heaven's Door – Rhythm Parts: Intro Picking

Let's use a pick here. Knockin' On Heaven's Door is an excellent song for learning how to pick individual notes from chords. We start with a strum on beat 1 of the G chord, then pick out strings 1, 2, 3, and 2, using the rhythm 1 e + a 2 e + a. As for picking a direction, I tend to do U U D D. You can also try D U D U.

We switch to the D, picking strings 4, 3, 2, 1, 1, 2, 3, 2 to the rhythm 3 e + a 4 e + a. The only catch is that the second time we pick string 1, we lift off finger 2 to reveal the open string. I tend to do D D D U; U U D U. But don't worry about the picking. Do what feels comfortable for you!

💡 Transcribe Your Favorite Parts – this song has so many guitar parts, so I can't possibly cover them all. Choose your favorites and work them out for yourself! Transcribing is essential if you aspire to become a serious musician.

Now we switch to C. On beat 1, we strum the full chord with finger 2 lifted off (X300010) and hammer on with finger 2 on the "e" after 1, then pick strings 5, 4, 2, 3, 4, 1, 4, 3, 2, 3. The rhythm for this bar is 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a. On beat 4, we strum strings 5, 4, and 3 of Cadd9 and hammer on with finger 2. On the "+ a" of 4, we pick strings 5 and 3.

On the second repetition, we repeat what we did for G and D, but on the last note of D (the "a" of 4), we lift off finger 2 and pick the open B string instead of fret 3.

The pattern for C changes too. We use the rhythm 1 e + a 2 e + a 3 e + a 4 e + a, picking strings 5, 4, 3, 2; 3, 4, 5, 2; 3, 2, 3; 4, 2, strum. The strum comes on the "and" after 4, and we lift off finger 1, strumming only strings 3 and 2.

Learn this bit by bit. Master the first bar with G and D, then work on the first repetition of C. Try to join them together. After that, practice the second D and C. When you're comfortable with those, try to play the full intro. Don't be in a hurry. If you make mistakes, you're going too fast! Get it right, then speed up.

💡 Who coined "practice makes perfect"? Nonsense! Practice the wrong thing over and over, and you'll know what I mean. ;) Practice makes permanent, not perfect. So make sure you practice playing songs correctly!

Ready? Let's keep going!

Clean Rhythm Part – Verse

The picking for the verse is very similar to the intro. Remember, in the first repetition of the verse; we stay Am for a whole bar rather than C. Hold down an open Am chord (X02210), adding in the variations shown. We use the rhythm 1 e + a, 2 e + a, 3 e + a, 4 e + a, picking strings 5, 4, 3, 2 (open B string); 2 (finger 1 on fret 1), 3, 4, 1 (finger 4 on fret 3); 4, 3, 2, 3; 5 3 (open).

This changes in the second repetition of the verse. Beats 1 and 2 are identical, but then it changes. On 3 e + a 4 e + a, we pick strings 4, 3, 2, 1 (open); 4, 3, 2 (open), 2 (finger 1 on fret 1).

Don't be too strict about learning the pattern for the verse. You want to get the intro accurate because it's iconic, especially if you're in a covers band. But if you hit an extra note or the wrong string, don't be put off! The rhythm is more important than the notes.

💡 My Guitar Journey – I learned to play Knockin' On Heaven's Door as a teen, and it taught me a lot about picked fingerstyle.

Learning songs you like is a great way to master tricky techniques.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door – Distorted Guitar Parts: Power Chords

Let's check out the distorted guitar parts, starting with the power chords section. Pretty simple, this one!

We start with a standard G power chord rooted on string 6 (355XXX) before moving to a D power chord rooted on string 5 (X577XX). Then we slide back two frets to a C power chord (X355XXX).

As for the rhythm, we start with the G chord on beat 1 and let it ring. We move to D on beat 3, letting it ring until the end of the bar. On beat 1 of the next bar, we strum the C, letting it ring out for the entire bar.

💡 Make Your Power Chords Rock – Play awesome power chords with this in-depth lesson, part of my Beginner’s Course.

To make this sound wicked, add five strums after beat 4 (DUDDU). Strum the first two (DU) muted and let the other three strums ring out, quickly switching to the G again on beat 1. The power chords section uses a reggae rhythm at the song's end. Listen to the original for that one. :)

Knockin' On Heaven's Door – Octaves Part

What a great guitar part – it gives the song a strong harmony and makes it sound fat and big. It is like a theme in Guns N' Roses songs! I hear another layer in the song where an acoustic guitar plays these same octave shapes.

The first octave is G, using finger 1 on fret 5 of string 4 and finger 4 on fret 8 of string 2 (XX5X8X). Make sure to mute all the other notes. We strum this on beat 1.

💡Octave Shapes – Play perfect octaves and don't forget to understand what's going on too!

On beat 3, the music changes to a D chord, and we move to an F# octave. Just shift both fingers back one fret (XX4X7X). The note F# is part of the D chord (D F# A), and it's the 3rd in D Major. So when we use this note over a power chord (D A), we create a major harmony. Can you hear this on the track?

You can do a similar analysis for the octave over the C chord. From the F# shape, we move both fingers back two frets (XX2X5X). It is an E octave shape. Again, E is the 3rd note in the C Major scale, so using it over a C power chord creates a strong major harmony.

There is a variation on this. In the second repetition of the intro, we switch to G octave (XX5X8X), A octave (XX7X10X), and C octave (XX10X13X).

Knockin' On Heaven's Door – First Slash Solo

Let's now look at the great solo parts, lick by lick! These are iconic guitar solos and tons of fun to play. It is the first of two!

Lick 1

We start with finger 1 on fret 12 of string 3. Finger 3 goes down on 14, and we play a tone ghost bend. It means you bend the note first, pick it when it's bent, and keep it ringing as you lower it again. Follow this with 12 and 14 again.

💡 Master String Bending – This is a vital technique for electric guitar, and Slash plays dozens of them in this song.

Little finger plays fret 15 of string 2; then we use the same ghost bend with finger 3 again. Flick finger 3 off to finger 1 on 12. Pick it again, adding vibrato.

Lick 2

Take finger 3 and play fret 12 of string 4, sliding up to 14, followed by fret 12 of string 3 with finger 1. As in Lick 1, finger 4 goes down on fret 15 of string 2, and this time we slide up to 17 and play 15 again with finger 2.

Finger 2 goes to fret 13 of string 2 and flicks off to finger 1 at 12. We hammer on to 13 and play a tone bend. Then we play 13, flick off to 12, hammer on, flick off, and finish on fret 14 of string 4 with finger 3.

Lick 3

Finger 1 goes on fret 12 of string 2; finger 2 goes down a fret higher. We'll come back to these notes. Little finger plays fret 15 of string 1, and we return to finger 2 at fret 13 of string 2, then 12.

We pick string 2 with finger 3 at fret 15 and slide up to 17. Finger 1 goes on fret 15 of string 1, and we play a tone bend from 17 with finger 3.

The next part is wicked: pick the tone bend, relax it, let it ring, and bend it up again without picking it! Pick and bend it again. We finish this lick with finger 1 on fret 15 of string 1.

Lick 4

Let's go up the dusty end! Finger 3 plays a tone bend from fret 20 of string 1. We now go to 20, 19 (with finger 2), 20, 19, then a tone bend from 20, followed by 20, 19, 20, 20, finishing with finger 1 on fret 17 on string 2.

We move to fret 15 of string 2 and play a tone bend and release twice, letting it ring throughout, just picking once. Make sure to mute the other strings with your picking hand. We do the same from fret 14 of string 3. Finger 1 then goes down on fret 12 of string 3, and finger 4 goes down on the octave of that note at fret 15 of string 1.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door – Harmonic Analysis of First Solo

Here's some homework for you – analyze the solo! What notes does he use in the solo? What are the chord tones in the background? See if you can spot all the relationships between them. It'll help you uncover the genius behind Slash's playing. It's an amazing, melodic solo, and you can learn loads for your guitar journey! :)

💡Analyzing Solos – Slash is a genius at targeting chord tones in his solos! Unlock the secrets of the greats with Harmonic Analysis.

You're best to practice this one lick at a time. Master Lick 1, then try Lick 2. Once both are sound, join them together. Repeat until you can play all four together.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door – Second Slash Solo

There are several interpretations of this solo. It is the version I think is correct. Again, practice this lick by lick. A lot is going on here!

Lick 1

We start by sliding into fret 12 of string 3 with finger 1, followed by fret 13 on string 2 with finger 2. Repeat those notes. We move over to fret 12 on string 1 with finger 1, then 15 with finger 4, before playing a semitone bend from 14 with finger 3.

Lick 2

This one starts with a semitone bend from fret 14. Release the bend, and play 14 again. Now flick off from 14 off to finger 1 on fret 12. Then we move up to string 2 and play a tone bend from fret 15.

💡 Bends in The Major Scale – Bending isn’t just for the blues! Learn how to use bends on Major Scale notes like Slash.

Lick 3

Hold that bend, and play fret 15 of string 1 with finger 4. Release the bend, and bend up again, hitting the note under finger 4 again. Then pick string 2 as the string is bent, release it and let it ring out, pick and bend again, allowing it to ring as you release.

After that, we flick off to fret 13 and hammer on 15 before playing a tone bend from fret 14 of string 3. I believe Slash uses finger 3 for this, but I find it easier to use finger 2 because of the next lick.

Lick 4

Barre frets 15 of strings 1 and 2 with your little finger, picking string 1 and then string 2. Play the bend from fret 14 of string 3 again and strum strings 3 and 2. Release it, flick off to 12, and hammer on at 14 again, picking string 2 simultaneously.

Pick string 1, then 2, followed by two-tone bends from fret 14 on string 3. When you pick these bends, play string 2 as well. Finish with finger 1 on fret 12, adding vibrato.

Lick 5

Slide up to fret 16 on string 3 with finger 2, fret 15 on string 2 with finger 1, then fret 15 on string 1. Finger 1 lays down flat for this one and rolls back to play the note on string 2 again. Now it's a tone bend from fret 17 on string 1, then 17, 15, 17, 15.

💡 Triad Shapes – Slash’s solos use a ton of them. Unlock the power of triad shapes and use them in your riffs and jam sessions!

Lick 6

Now we move right up the neck. On string 1, we play 20, 19, and 20, followed by a tone bend from 20. Then it's 20, 19, 20, and we finish with a tone bend from 20.

Lick 7

Stay on string 1 and play 20, 19, and 20. From there, we move to fret 22 and add two-tone bends before hitting fret 20 of string 2 with finger 1.

Lick 8

With finger 3, play a tone bend from fret 22 of string 2. Holding the bend, play the fret 22 on string 1 with finger 4. Release the bend, then bend again and let it ring out as you release. Follow this with 20, ghost bend from 22, and finish on 20.

Lick 9

Now we drop to fret 19 and play a semitone bend, another semitone bend, 19, and another bend. We finish with 19, 17, 19, 17, and 17.

🎸 Blues Solos All Over! Master Blues scales, licks, and bends all over the neck.

Lick 10

We start with finger 1 on fret 15 on string 1 and finger 3 to fret 17 on string 2. Repeat each note. Now, both fingers stay in the same frets but move up a string, and we play 15, 17, and 15. Then finger 2 moves to fret 16 of string 2, and we play two semitone bends, letting each ring out as we release. Finish with finger 2 on fret 12 of string 3.

Lick 11

Now we play fret 11 of string 3 with finger 1, followed by a semitone bend. We bend this note downwards using finger 1 and let it ring as we release, then slide back to fret 9, followed by 7, 5, 4, then fret 5 of string 4 with finger 2.

Knockin' On Heaven's Door – Harmonic Analysis Of Second Solo

Again, Slash follows the chords excellently in this solo. He uses notes based on chord shapes and triads high up the neck, switching notes according to the harmony. Then, plays a G Major arpeggio over a C chord at one point – interesting! He also uses the G Major Pentatonic through the other chords, a common technique in country and western music.

I suggest you explore this by working out which notes he uses over each chord. You'll learn loads about how to use those licks and improvise yourself. Picking out chord tones always sounds better than playing scales!

Phew! This lesson has a lot to cover, but it's worth it – this is one of the all-time classic guitar songs. Remember – take it to bar by bar, lick by lick, slowly increasing the speed. That's how you become a guitar great! You'll be playing like Slash in no time. :)

🎵 Up for more? Find lessons for more wicked Guns N' Roses songs!