Hello again!!!
Watching Dylan's recent documentary really woke up the folky in me, I thought some of the live footage of him playing acoustic was fantastic. It certainly got my creative juices flowing, so in homage and thanks to Bob, I thought I would put up one of his more powerful songs on here - A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall – from the album The Freewheelin Bob Dylan (1963).
I have tried to lay this out so even relative beginners can have a go at it – it really isn't at all difficult with practice but it's a really nice chord progression and also a good opportunity to try a song out in dropped D tuning. Don't be put off by this – its only changing the tuning of one string!
Tuning
Just lower your low E string from E to D. Simple!
Chord shapes
D 000232
G 020033
A 202220 standard A chord with thumb used to fret low string 2nd fret
G/d 000433 (see comments below)
A/d 000655 (see comments below)
Comments on chords
When you are playing this, its vital that you get a decent bass note sounding – obviously for the D, G/d and A/d chords this isn't an issue – you are just using your low E (tuned to D) string. For the G make 100% sure you get the A string to ring, similarly for the A make sure you can get the thumb to fret the low string properly – HOWEVER if you can't manage that, just use the open A string for your bass. It will do – but won't sound as full as the recorded version.
Fingering suggestions
For the G/d and A/d I suggest you use your ring finger on the high E string, middle finger on the B string, and use your pinky to fret the G string – as you are hitting the open low E (tuned to D) string first, you will find you have plenty of time to do this – once you have got the G/d in place, all you do is slide the whole shape up 2 frets for A/d.
Also when going from D to G – all you do is from your D chord, drop your pinky onto the 3rd fret of the high E string and flip your index finger up to grab the 2nd fret A string – if you do this a few times it will become second nature. I love the sound of that change in drop D, its so different from the usual D – G change in standard tuning.
Strum pattern
This is the key issue. Its worth working just on this alone until you can do it repeatedly. It's what is called “bass strum†playing, in other words you pick the bass note of the chord first, and follow this up with a strum on the rest of the strings, or the treble strings. I find that its best to mix two patterns like this
Pick Bass Note
Strum Down / Down
Pick Bass note
Strum Down Up Down.
This sounds pretty effective and sounds good, remember the important thing is to give the song room for the lyrics, like all Dylan's songs the music played is very much “background†to the vocal. There's no need to do anything flashy at all, just get into a groove with this style. Once you have mastered doing this, there's no end of songs you can apply it too.
TimingI am going to do all the timing for this song in an unusual way. I want you to think in terms of the number of times you hit the bass string.
So – Pick bass, Down / Down is a “set†of one.
So if I try and explain the timing of the intro its like this –
2 1 4
D G D
So its D chord, pick bass, Down / Down, pick bass, Down(up) Down
To G chord pick bass Down / Down
To D chord pick bass, Down(up) Down, pick bass (Down / Down) AND REPEAT.
So the “count†that I am using, is purely the number of times you pick the bass note. If you have trouble getting this, pm me and I'll see what I can do.
Capo Placement – recorded version capo on 2 – Dylan also sometimes (live in 1963 for instance) used a capo at 3. I actually prefer it at 3 but it's a personal thing.
And that's about it – what more can I say. Keep it simple, practice your bass strum pattern and away you go!
Here's the song. Don't forget the numbers next to the chords are how many bass notes you have to hit each time. I have deliberately tried to make each line as short as possible to avoid wrapping the text onto the next line – sorry if this means its VERY long! Also note that I haven't tabbed the entire song, just the first verse and chorus – once you have learned this its no problem just repeating it for the rest of the song.
I hope you enjoy this venture into Dylan in drop D.
Hard Rain's Gonna Fall. Dylan.
Capo 2/3
Intro
D2 G1 D4
D 2
Oh, where have you been,
G 1 D 4
my blue-eyed son?
D 3
Oh, where have you been,
A4
my darling young one?
G/d 2
I've stumbled on the side of
A/d 1 D 4
twelve misty mountains,
G/d 2
I've walked and I've crawled on
A/d 1 D4
six crooked highways,
G/d 2
I've stepped in the middle of
A/d 1 D 4
seven sad forests,
G/d 2
I've been out in front of a
A/d 1 D4
dozen dead oceans,
G/d
I've been ten thousand miles in
A/d D4
the mouth of a graveyard,
D2 A2
And it's a hard, and it's a hard,
D2 G2
it's a hard, and it's a hard,
D2 A2 D2
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what did you see,
my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what did you see,
my darling young one?
I saw a newborn baby with
wild wolves all around it
I saw a highway of diamonds
with nobody on it,
I saw a black branch with blood
that kept drippin',
I saw a room full of men with
their hammers a-bleedin',
I saw a white ladder all
covered with water,
I saw ten thousand talkers whose
tongues were all broken,
I saw guns and sharp swords in the
hands of young children,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard,
it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
And what did you hear,
my blue-eyed son?
And what did you hear,
my darling young one?
I heard the sound of a thunder,
it roared out a warnin',
Heard the roar of a wave that
could drown the whole world,
Heard one hundred drummers
whose hands were a-blazin',
Heard ten thousand whisperin'
and nobody listenin',
Heard one person starve,
I heard many people laughin',
Heard the song of a poet
who died in the gutter,
Heard the sound of a clown who
cried in the alley,
And it's a hard, and it's a hard,
it's a hard, it's a hard,
And it's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, who did you meet,
my blue-eyed son?
Who did you meet,
my darling young one?
I met a young child
beside a dead pony,
I met a white man who
walked a black dog,
I met a young woman
whose body was burning,
I met a young girl,
she gave me a rainbow,
I met one man who was
wounded in love,
I met another man who was
wounded with hatred,
And it's a hard, it's a hard,
it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Oh, what'll you do now,
my blue-eyed son?
Oh, what'll you do now,
my darling young one?
I'm a-goin' back out 'fore
the rain starts a-fallin',
I'll walk to the depths of
the deepest black forest,
Where the people are many and
their hands are all empty,
Where the pellets of poison
are flooding their waters,
Where the home in the valley
meets the damp dirty prison,
Where the executioner's face
is always well hidden,
Where hunger is ugly, where
souls are forgotten,
Where black is the color,
where none is the number,
And I'll tell it and think it
and speak it and breathe it,
And reflect it from the mountain
so all souls can see it,
Then I'll stand on the ocean
until I start sinkin',
But I'll know my song well
before I start singin',
And it's a hard, it's a hard,
it's a hard, it's a hard,
It's a hard rain's a-gonna fall.
Impeccable timing! I was listening to and trying to play along with Edie Brickell's version of A Hard Rain's Gonna Fall when I opened the forum and saw this thread. I, too, just watched the PBS documentary on Dylan so this brings it all together (or should I say brings it all back home :wink: ).
Thanks for all the detail, because this song has frustrated me in the past, particularly the strumming and timing. The song seems simple on the surface, but I often finish my attempt with a big ol' "Aaarrgghhh!" in frustration. Now, I've got something to work with. Great job!
Blame it on the lies that killed us, blame it on the truth that ran us down.
cheers Slydog. Isn't this just a great piece of song writing.
You know up until about 3 years ago i really wasn't bothered about Dylan. I then got into it a bit, ever since its been growing and growing. I have to say, that the documentary comfirmed me ever growing belief that i was born in the wrong era!!!!
Enjoy it, if you're struggling let me know and we'll try and work through it.
The change from D to G is a joy if you nail it, its subtle but great.
all the best
Matt
I first got into Dylan almost 20 years ago when I finally actually listened to "Like A Rolling Stone." Unbelievable. Up until then, like a lot of people, I couldn't get beyond the voice. But once I did, a whole new world opened up. His music is even more amazing when you put it into context of time and place. He was singing that the times were a changin' before it was apparent that they were. And I love lines like "Where black is the color, where none is the number."
Obviously, countless books have been written about the man, so no need to recap it all here. But one more thought - I have a neighbor who said he hates Dylan, so I made him a CD of Dylan songs all covered by others. Some were obvious like Mannfred Mann's Quinn the Eskimo, but many were by artists like Eliza Gilkyson, Michael Hedges and others. I didn't tell him they were all Dylan songs, but he thought it was great. To say I got some satisfaction letting him know who wrote all the songs is an understatement.
And as for working through this song, your explanation has already put me on the right path. Thanks again.
Blame it on the lies that killed us, blame it on the truth that ran us down.
I only got into Dylan in the early 70's...hell, I was only six when "The Freewheeling Bob Dylan" came out....when I first got into pop music, The Beatles, Stones, Who, Manfred Mann, Kinks, Hollies etc were so much more accessible, if that's the right word, than Dylan....I didn't realise at the time that Dylan required a little patience on the listener's part....
But yeah, there have been some great Dylan covers over the years...Manfred Mann and the Byrds spring immediately to mind...and I particularly like Bryan Ferry's version of "Hard Rain"....is it sacrilege to say I actually prefer it to the original?
Anyway, thanks again for another great tab, Matt, and also a well structured explanation.....is it just me, or does anyone else think this would make a good article/lesson?
))))) Here's where Vic slopes off to "music room" to tune a guitar to drop D....(((((
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
(10 minutes later).....
Wow!
First time I've ever played a song all the way through in drop D...and I have to say, this works great!!!
I didn't have any trouble with the A chord...thumb fretting the bottom E for the bass note...for the simple reason I always play a D chord that way (and Bm and F#m as well, come to think of it!!!)
This is one I'm going to have to learn.....already thinking it's going to make a great addition to the tuesday night acoustic pub jam session...
Thanks again Matt!!!!
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
And I'm still not speaking to my daughter....she committed the unforgiveable sin....I went out to the pub Tuesday night, left at 8.45pm...asked her to tape the 2nd part of the Dylan documentary for me, all she had to do was point the remote at the TV and press "record" - 15 minutes later - and she "FORGOT!"
Hmmm....wonder if Dogsbody taped it by any chance?
CHRIS??????
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Vic
Wait for the DVD mate - apparently there's extra footage including whole songs instead of clips etc.
Nice feedback, glad you like it!!!
I think a lot of people may be put off by the dropped D tuning, heavens know why. Its so easy. And yes, I went "wow" the first time I played it too as well, its just a lovely song to play.
So come on beginners, someone play this that's NEVER played in anything but standard tuning and let us know how you get on!!!
Matt
That DVD's not only on my "must-buy" list, it's now top of the "Get the f*** out of the way - I was here first!" list......
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
Any chance you can post the chord boxes for this dropped D song Matt.
Be excellent to each other & party on dudes!
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/pagemusic.cfm?bandID=686668
Fantabulous :D
I played through the first 2 verses.
The only struggle I can see with learning this song is remembering all the words.
(It looks like I am a capo 2 guy myself)
Hey Matt!
You've struck gold again. Your lessons are just fantastic. I've said it before and I'll say it again. You would make a worthy assistant to our very own David Hodge. All we need is mp3's to go with your lessons. If it comes to a vote for that , you've got mine mate.
Vic wrote:
Hmmm....wonder if Dogsbody taped it by any chance?
CHRIS??????
Sorry Vic I didn't tape it. Not only that but I've missed just about every Dylan programme on the goggle box this week. All I saw was the one on BBC 4 which showed other stars doing covers of his work and the last five minutes of the documentry and so I did hear the cry of Judas from audience when he went electric.
We've only got a single channel combined TV/Video so you can only tape the channel your on. Curses. Afraid I lost out this week.
Never mind, its out on DVD.
Dylan is just brilliant though, I've always liked his songs.
Chris.
The guitar is all right John but you'll never make a living out of it! (John Lennon's Aunt Mimi)
Hi all and thanks for your comments, very kind.
I can't post chord boxes but I have given the chords at the top.
they are
D 000232 (standard D but use all six strings because of the tuning)
G020033 pinky on high E. ring finger on B. first finger grabs A string
A 202220 standard A but fret low E with thumb at 2.
G/d 000433
A/d 000655
All the best, watch out for another great Dylan song coming soon!!!
Cheers
Matt
a little footnote...I found it easier to play the G/d and the A/d by putting a mini-barre across the top 3 strings and fretting the G string one higher with my index finger...posiibly because I use that method on a lot of barre chords anyway, especially changing form open chords to barres....
:D :D :D
Vic
"Sometimes the beauty of music can help us all find strength to deal with all the curves life can throw us." (D. Hodge.)
THANKS A MILLION 2 YEARS AT THIS AND YOU HAVE CRACKED THIS ONE FOR .....BARRY
:WHO INVENTED WORK SHOULD COME BACK AND FINISH THE JOB OFF: http://www.soundclick.com/bartin
