Blowin’ In The Wind | Chords + Lyrics (capo 7)
Intro
| G |
Verse 1
| G C G/B | D/A D G | G C G/B | G |
How many roads must a man walk down, before you call him a man?
| G C G/B | D/A D G | G C G/B | D D/A D D/A |
Yes, and how many seas must a white dove sail, before she sleeps in the sand?
| G C G/B | D/A D/F# G | G C G/B | G |
Yes, and how many times must the cannonballs fly, before they’re forever banned?
Chorus 1
| C G/B D/A D/F# | G C C/G | C G/B D/A D | 2/4 G |
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Instrumental 1
| C G/B D D/A D/F# | G C C/G | C G/B D/F# | G |
Verse 2
How many years can a mountain exist, before it’s washed to the sea?
Yes, and how many years can some people exist, before they’re allowed to be free?
Yes, and how many times can a man turn his head, pretending he just doesn’t see?
Chorus 2
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Instrumental 2
| C G/B D D/A D/F# | G C C/G | C G/B D/F# | G |
Verse 3
How many times must a man look up, before he can see the sky?
Yes, and how many ears must one man have, before he can hear people cry?
Yes, and how many deaths will it take till he knows, that too many people have died?
Chorus 3
The answer my friend is blowin’ in the wind, the answer is blowin’ in the wind.
Outro
| C G/B D D/A D/F# | G C C/G | C G/B D/F# | G |
Blowin’ In The Wind Chords: Learn the progressions
Based on chords I, IV, and V throughout, it’s easy to think that we should simplify Blowin’ In The Wind’s chords before adding all those different bass notes to make sense of it.
Let’s try this theory, here’s the first line of the verse, with Roman Numerals.
| G (I) C (IV) G (I) | D (V) G (I) | G (I) C (IV) G (I) | G (I) |
Even though I took all the different bass notes out, it’s still complicated as we switch chords so many times in each bar! Here’s the same line, with the different bass notes:
| G (I) C (IV) G/B (I/3) | D/A (V/5) D (V) G (I) | G (I) C (IV) G/B (I/3) | G (I) |
Clearly, no matter how you do this, there are a lot of chords in Blowin’ In The Wind, perhaps you must have TAB, practice slowly and memorize all this (see how further down this page).
Here’s the rest of the verse, can you see the Roman Numerals even though I don’t point them out?
| G C G/B | D/A D G | G C G/B | D D/A D D/A |
| G C G/B | D/A D/F# G | G C G/B | G |
The chorus is similar as we play this:
| C G/B D/A D/F# | G C C/G | C G/B D/A D | 2/4 G |
The main difference here was the emphasis on chord IV (C), moving down to chord I. The instrumental section is almost identical, like this:
| C G/B D D/A D/F# | G C C/G | C G/B D/F# | G |
Here’s a chord chart of the complete song in the key of G (capo on fret 7).
Blowin’ In The Wind Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
There are a few things that have become more clear after looking at this chord chart.
- It’s easier to see the patterns when the chords are bigger like this, there are no lyrics to get in the way, and we have space between the sections.
- You can’t just look at this chart and play it perfectly, you must first practice each section slowly, then use the chart as a reminder.
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Blowin’ In The Wind Chord Chart PDF.
This chart was created using iRealPro, here’s a link to that file: Blowin’ In The Wind iRealPro. Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key.
In the course, we look at TAB and play along to loops to learn Blowin’ In The Wind in more depth, there is no doubt in my mind that this is necessary, below is a preview.
Blowin’ In The Wind TAB | Course Preview
Blowin’ In The Wind was Bob Dylan‘s breakthrough song. Half a century and more later, he still plays it live.
The original part was played as if in the key of G, using a capo on fret seven, it comes out in the key of D.
My arrangement is an attempt to play it just like Bob did, note-for-note. In the video at the top of this page, you can see me playing this with a singer.
Above here, you’ll find a play-along loop of the TAB you see below. This is Blowin’ In The Wind’s verse, try it along with the video and you’ll get a taste of what learning guitar with Sytunes is like.
Notice how the strumming is divided between the bass note and the chords. Since the main trick here is that the bass notes are changing, dividing the strumming up like this makes the bass line stand out more.
Members next look at the chorus and instrumental sections in the same way, with TAB and play-along loops.
When you can play all three sections, you can play it just like I do at the top of the page with the singer.
Members also play the entire tune using a capo on fret 2, thinking in the key of C. We practise a bunch of technical exercises and play a 2nd guitar without a capo over 8 step-by-step guitar lessons.
Learning all three versions of the song will ensure that you do not just learn how to play Blowin’ In The Wind, but also learn from the song.
Ultimately, it also means you can play it with me and the singer as if we were a folk trio, preparing you for the scenario of playing with other people.
Here’s a link to the 8 step-by-step guitar lessons: Blowin’ In The Wind – Guitar Lessons with TAB.
Blowin’ In The Wind’s background and legacy
Blowin’ In The Wind is a song from the 1963 album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan. This wasn’t Dylan’s first album and he still mainly played covers at this point but Blowin’ In The Wind was his song, quickly covered by his contemporary peers!
In fact, Peter Paul & Mary charted with the song way before Dylan did with his version.
Blowin’ In The Wind is often used as an example of a protest song, posing philosophical questions about peace, war, and freedom. American teens in the ’60s couldn’t get enough of it and Dylan became an icon.
Bob has recorded several albums following this, now legendary early release. Even though he has passed half a century as an active recording artist, for many he remains the one-man band that sang Blowin’ In The Wind, Mr. Tambourine Man, The Times They Are A-Changing, and Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right.
In 1999, Blowin’ In The Wind was inducted into the Grammy Hall Of Fame. In 2004, it was listed as #14 on Rolling Stone Magazine’s list of The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.
Blowin’ In The Wind Chords | Related Pages
Blowin’ In The Wind | 8 Step-by-step Guitar Lessons + TAB
Bob Dylan’s first hit, Blowin’ In The Wind, was originally played using a capo on fret 7, thinking in the key of G.
During the 8 lessons, you’ll learn it just like Bob played it but why stop there? We also play it with a capo on fret 2 (key of C) as well as without a capo (key of D).
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
Bob Dylan tunes
Widely regarded as the most influential artist in popular culture, Bob Dylan has been covered and copied by almost everyone who ever attempted to write a song. His famous tunes are so many it’s impossible to pick just a few.
Some say Dylan invented modern songwriting.
Bob Dylan on the web
About me | Dan Lundholm
This was a guitar lesson about Blowin’ In The Wind chords, by Dan Lundholm. Discover more about him and how you can learn guitar with Spytunes.
Most importantly, find out why you should learn guitar through playing tunes, not practising scales, and studying theory in isolation.
