Guns N Roses - Knocking On Heavens Doors guitar tab
I include my rendition of Slash's first solo in this transcription. I
think it's fairly accurate. I play a variation of the first solo because
people recognize it, but the second solo I improvise; and I don't feel like
figuring it out since Slash always plays something different in concert anyway.
Key: H - hammer-on
/ - slide
P - pull-off
^ - half bend
^^ - full bend
~ - vibrato
(ACK! Did we decide on a standard somewhere for ASCII tab notation. Could
someone send me a copy of the article since I apparently missed it.)
This is the picking at the very beginning of the song. The picking varies
throughout, and you should do whatever feels best instead of trying to
restrict yourself to how it sounds on record. GN'R is constantly mutating
this song in concert anyway (even doing it with a reggae beat).
G5 D C
-3---3--------------2-0-------|-----------------0--------------------|--------
-3-----3---3------3-----3---3-|----------1--------------1------------|--------
-0-------0------2---------2---|-0------0---0----------0---0-0------0-|--------
-0------------0---------------|-0-2----------2------2-------0-2------|--------
------------------------------|--H---3-----------------------H---3---|--------
-3----------------------------|--------------------------------------|--------
This is the picking for the first line. Again, the picking will vary
throughout the song.
G5 D Am
-3--------------2-------2-0-------|-0-----H-------0----------------------|
-3---3-------3--3-------3-------0-|-1----0-1-------------1---------------|
-0---0-----0----2----2-------2----|-2--2-----2---------2---2------0---0--|
-0---0-----0----0----0------------|-2----------2-----2-------0-2----2----|
----------------------------------|-0-------------------------H----------|
-3--------------------------------|--------------------------------------|
Song goes like this:
Intro:
Twice with picking G5 D C
Twice just power chords G5 D C
Verse 1 (with picking)
G5 D Am
Mamma take this badge from me
G5 D C
I can't use it anymore
G5 D Am
It's getting dark, too dark to see
G5 D C
Feels like I'm knockin' on heaven's door
Chorus (if you're really concerned about playing it like the
CD, listen to it for rhythm. But this song has been done by so
many people so differently that you might as well give it your own
feel.)
G5 D5 C5
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door,
C5
Hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah
G5 D5 C5
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door,
C5
(no lyrics)
G5 D5 C5
Ooh, knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
C5
Ooh yeah
G5 D5 C5
Knock, knock, knockin' on heaven's door
C5
Hey, hey, hey, hey, yeah
First Guitar Solo
G D C
------------------------------------------------------
----^^---P---------15--^------~~~~~~~~~~~~------------
-12-14-14-12-14-------14-12-12-------------------12---
------------------------------------------13/14-------
------------------------------------------------------
------------------------------------------------------
G D C
---------------P------------P--------P------------------15----
15/17---15---13-12-13/15--13-12---13--12----------12-13----13-
-------------------------------------------~~~~~~~------------
-----------------------------------------14-------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
G ^^ D ^^ ^^ C
--~~~-------15-17--17--17--17--15-----------------------------
12---15/17----------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
--------------------------------------------------------------
G ^^ ^^ D C
--20-20-19-20--19-20--20-20-20---~~~~~----------------------------------
-------P-----------------------17------^^----^^-------------------------
---------------------------------------19-19-19-19-^-----^--------------
---------------------------------------------------19-19-19-19----------
---------------------------------------------------------------17--17---
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Additional lyrics:
Mama, put my guns in the ground
I can't shoot them anymore
That cold black cloud is comin' down
Feels like I'm knockin' on heaven's door
Basically there are lots of "knockin' on heaven's door"s throughout the rest
Date: Saturday, 8 March
From: David Harrison
This is one of GUNS N' ROSES best song if you ask me.
I saw that no one had tabbed the second solo so I did as
well as the rest of the song. If you have any questions,
Comments, additions, or Corrections feel free to e-mail
them to me.
P.S. Tune your guitar down half a step.
Riff 1:-used in intro and the verses.
E|--3----3----------0---------------0--------------|
B|--3-----3-3--3---3-3-----------1---1--1----------|
G|--0------0---2--2---2-----------0---0--0------0--|
D|--X----------0-------0--0h2-2----2-------0h2-2---|
A|--2---------------------0h3--------------0h3-----|
E|--3----------------------------------------------|
E|-------3-----------0-----------------------||
B|--------3-3-------3-3------1----1--1-1-----||
G|--0------0---0h2-2---2-------0---0--0-0----||
D|--x----------0--------0---2---2---2----2---||
A|--2---------------------3------3--------3--||
E|--3----------------------------------------||
Riff 2:-used in intro and the choruses.
G D C C
E|-----|-----|-----|-----|
B|-----|-----|-----|-----|
G|--4--|--7--|--5--|--5--|
D|--5--|--7--|--5--|--5--|
A|--5--|--5--|--3--|--3--|
E|--3--|-----|-----|-----|
Solo 1:
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|-----------------15-------------------------15/17--15--|
G|--12-14brp12-14-----14br-1212~~~---------12------------|
D|--------------------------------------/14--------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------15----------15-|
B|-13p12-13/15---13p12-13---12--------1213--1312---/17---|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|----------------------------14-------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-17br17---17br17br15-------22--20192019-22--20-2020----|
B|---------------------------------------------------17--|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|--------------------15--||
B|--15brbr----------------||
G|----------14brbr--12----||
D|------------------------||
A|------------------------||
E|------------------------||
Solo 2:
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|--19b~~~~~~~r-19---19brp17-19-1717----20-17--20-17br---|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|----------------------------------------16---18b-18p16-|
B|-1517--1517--------1517---------------13--16-----------|
G|-----------------------------------/13-----------------|
D|-----17----19br1719----19br19br17----------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-1618P161620192022b--20192022b--20192022b-22b22b-------|
B|------------------------------------------------2022b--|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|--2022br-202222b-202220--20~~---2019----19br-17191717--|
G|-------------------------------------------------------|
D|-------------------------------------------------------|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
B|-2017--17~~15~~12~~~~~~--------------------------------|
G|------------------------12~--11~---11br-9~---7---5/4---|
D|----------------------------------------------------5--|
A|-------------------------------------------------------|
E|-------------------------------------------------------|
Here's The Order:
RIFF 1 (00:00) 1X
RIFF 2 (OO:15) 2X
RIFF 1 (OO:30) 2X
RIFF 2 (00:59) 4X
SOLO 1 (O1:29) 1X
RIFF 1 (01:59) 2X
RIFF 2 (02:27) 4X-play all the way through the solo until 3:54
SOLO 2 (02:56) 1X
RIFF 2 (04:51) 4x
