Learn to play Dylan's most influential songs
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)
Key: G major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Beginner
Chords: G C D
The song that established Dylan as the voice of a generation.
View full song page →The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)
Key: C major | Capo: 4th fret | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: C G Am F E7
A masterclass in fingerpicking with Travis picking pattern.
View full song page →The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)
Key: G major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Beginner
Chords: G Bm C D
Beautiful folk ballad later recorded as a duet with Johnny Cash.
The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)
Key: D major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: D G A Em
Epic protest song written during Cuban Missile Crisis.
View full song page →The Times They Are a-Changin' (1964)
Key: G major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Beginner
Chords: G Em C D Am
The ultimate generational anthem about social change.
View full song page →The Freewheelin' Bob Dylan (1963)
Key: D minor | Capo: None | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: Dm C Bb Am
Dylan's most direct protest song condemning war profiteers.
View full song page →The Times They Are a-Changin' (1964)
Key: C major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Beginner
Chords: C F G Am
Epic historical critique spanning centuries of American wars.
Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
Key: D major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: D G A Em
Surrealist masterpiece that launched folk-rock as a genre.
View full song page →Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
Key: C major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: C Dm Em F G
Often called the greatest rock song ever recorded.
View full song page →Highway 61 Revisited (1965)
Key: D major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: D G A
Blues-rock with slide whistle intro
Surreal blues-rock named for the highway connecting Dylan's Minnesota to the Mississippi Delta blues heartland.
Bringing It All Back Home (1965)
Key: A major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Advanced
Chords: A D E
Proto-rap masterpiece with the first music video.
View full song page →Blonde on Blonde (1966)
Key: F major | Capo: 1st fret | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: F Bb C Dm Am
Tender ballad with descending bass line
Controversial yet tender portrait, possibly about Edie Sedgwick. The Nashville session musicians add lush backing.
Pat Garrett & Billy the Kid (1973)
Key: G major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Beginner
Chords: G D Am C
Four chord masterpiece, later covered by Guns N' Roses.
View full song page →Blood on the Tracks (1975)
Key: A major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: A Asus4 G D E
Dylan called it his best song. A fractured narrative masterpiece.
View full song page →Blood on the Tracks (1975)
Key: E major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: E E7 A Am B7
Heartbreaking tale of lost love with jazz-influenced changes.
View full song page →Desire (1976)
Key: A minor | Capo: None | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: Am F C G Em
8+ minute protest epic about boxer Rubin Carter.
View full song page →Time Out of Mind (1997)
Key: E major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: E A B C#m
Meditation on mortality from his comeback album.
View full song page →Wonder Boys Soundtrack (2000)
Key: E minor | Capo: None | Difficulty: Intermediate
Chords: Em Am B7 C D
Oscar-winning song for Curtis Hanson's film.
Planet Waves (1974)
Key: G major | Capo: None | Difficulty: Beginner
Chords: G C D Em
Written for his children, now a graduation standard.
View full song page →John Wesley Harding (1967)
Key: C# minor | Capo: 4th for Am | Difficulty: Beginner
Chords: Am G F
Hendrix's cover made Dylan rearrange his own song.
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