Learn to Play: Three Songs from Bob Dylan's Blood on the Tracks

Photo by Steve Morley / Getty Images

While Bob Dylan's mythos tends to center around the folk and rock music he made in the 1960s, today we take a moment to meditate on the best–loved album from his fertile mid–’70s moment, Blood On the Tracks.

Between the storytelling style of songwriting and back-to-basic arrangements, Blood On the Tracks has stood the test of time as one of Dylan’s most affecting and downright enjoyable albums.

Today, Joe teaches the guitar parts for three songs off that album tuned in open D, “Shelter from the Storm,” “Simple Twist of Fate,” and “Buckets of Rain.”

As Joe explains, the distinct, capo'd open D playing style deployed on these songs fosters some truly beautiful chord voicings that match the lyrical and melodic content of each tune. While Dylan's guitar parts are relatively simple, they do offer a great launching point into this alternate tuning which in turn encourages all kinds of exploration and guitar creativity.

Take some time to celebrate Dylan's birthday by learning these classic songs, or come back to them over the long weekend.

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