Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right Guitar and Harmonica Lesson
Written in 1962 and released on the 1963 album, The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan.
This is my version of Dylan’s Classic.
Guitar Chords, Lyrics and Harmonica Tabs
This is my own transcription.
Bob Dylan lyrics are property and copyright of their owners.
“Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right” lyrics provided for educational purposes and personal use only.
INTRO
G B7 Em C
8 9 -10 10 9 -8 8 7
G D G D7
8888 7777
G D Em
It ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
C D D7
It don’t matter, anyhow
G D Em
An’ it ain’t no use to sit and wonder why, babe
A7 D D7
If you don’t know by now
G G7
When your rooster crows at the break of dawn
C A7
Look out your window and I’ll be gone
G B7 Em C
You’re the reason I’m trav’lin’ on
G D G D7
Don’t think twice, it’s all right
G B7 Em C
G D G D7
G D Em
It ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe
C D D7
That light I never knowed
G D Em
An’ it ain’t no use in turnin’ on your light, babe
A7 D D7
I’m on the dark side of the road
G G7
Still I wish there was somethin’ you would do or say
C A7
To try and make me change my mind and stay
G B7 Em C
We never did too much talkin’ anyway
G D G D7
So don’t think twice, it’s all right
G B7 Em C
G D G D7
HARMONICA SOLO
D7
6 -6 -7 7 -8
G D Em
8 8 -7 8 7 -6
C D D7
6 6 -6 -6 6 7 -8
D7
6 -6 -7 7 -8
G D Em
8 8 88 9 9 9 -10 8 -8 7
A7 D D7
7 7 7 7 7 7 -6 6
G G7
6 -6 7 7 7 7 -8 8 8 8
C A7
7 7 7 7 7 8 8 8
G B7 Em C
8 8 8 8 8 8 -7 7
G D G D7
8 8 8 7 7 7
G D Em
It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal
C D D7
Like you never did before
G D Em
It ain’t no use in callin’ out my name, gal
A7 D D7
I can’t hear you anymore
G G7
I’m a-thinkin’ and a-wond’rin’ all the way down the road
C A7
I once loved a woman, a child I’m told
G B7 Em C
I give her my heart but she wanted my soul
G D G D7
But don’t think twice, it’s all right
G B7 Em C
G D G D7
G D Em
I’m walkin’ down that long, lonesome road, babe
C D D7
Where I’m bound, I can’t tell
G D Em
But goodbye’s too good a word, gal
A7 D D7
So I’ll just say fare thee well
G G7
I ain’t sayin’ you treated me unkind
C A7
You could have done better but I don’t mind
G B7 Em C
You just kinda wasted my precious time
G D G D7
But don’t think twice, it’s all right
Musical Instruments and Recording Setup
Hohner Special 20 Key G
The Hohner Special 20 has been my harmonica of choice for a long time. They are just easy to play, easy to bend and sound great. They are excellent harmonicas for someone just starting out but are also played by pros in all types of venues worldwide.
From Hohner, “The Special 20 is the go-to harp for harmonica players of any style, including blues, country, folk, or rock. The Special 20 delivers the coveted Marine Band sound and offers the benefits of its plastic comb: it doesn’t absorb moisture so it won’t swell, shrink, or crack; it lasts longer and is more airtight than wood combs that can become swollen, twisted, and warped; airtight construction provides increased responsiveness; plastic provides comfort and it’s smoother on the lips, preventing chafing”.
Harmonica Holder
I made my first harmonica holder out of an old wire coat hanger. It wasn’t beautiful but it worked and put me on the road to earning my McGyver certificate at an early age.
For me now, a comfortable and properly fitting harmonica holder is a must for hands free harmonica playing. This Hohner Harmonica Holder works great for me.
Another harmonica holder that you may want to try that has gotten great reviews is the
Lee Oskar Harmonica Holder. You can also check out other harmonica holders on my George’s Harp Shop page.
In The River video, I am playing my Takamine EG Series Acoustic – Electric Guitar very similar to the picture to the left.
I’ve had this guitar for the past 10 years. I had heard alot of good things about Takamine guitars and had tried a couple which I really liked so when I needed an affordable stage setup, I bought the guitar, hard-shell case, fender deluxe 90 amp, and an assortment of accessories for under a thousand bucks.
I like the rounded profile that is narrow at the waist and broad behind the bridge. This creates a soundboard with balanced frequency response – deep bass, clear treble, and a sweet, round midrange that projects well.
It includes 3-band graphic EQ and built-in tuner which is really handy.
From Takamine, “Built to Takamine designs in some of the most modern guitar shops in the world, G-series instruments are priced for every budget. The G-series guitar is every bit Takamine, from its acoustic performance to the latest in pickup and preamp design. These guitars are crafted from the finest handpicked tonewoods, hand-crafted by expert luthiers, all providing players with unmatched excellence and surprising affordability”
I know I’ve enjoyed every minute of mine
Video Editing
I used CyberLink PowerDirector for editing the video. It works great for synching audio and video as well as adding text and transitions between scenes. And it’s fast, so you get quality videos without alot of time spent.
From PCMag.com, 12/27/2010, “CyberLink’s PowerDirector has all the speed and all the advanced features an enthusiast video editor could want. As the first consumer video editing software to support 64-bit Windows, PowerDirector is taking a lead in the field. PCMag.com, December 7, 2010”.
Video Transcription
Hi George here. Welcome to this video where I show you how to play Bob Dylan’s Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right on guitar and harmonica.
So we’re going to start off and we’ll go through the guitar chords, then we’ll go through a strumming pattern and then we’ll talk through the harmonica part and finally we’ll put it all together and play through the whole thing.
Ok, so let’s go through the chords in the order of the progression.
It starts off in G, it goes to D and them Em. Then it goes to C and to D, then to D7. Go back to G, to D, to Em. Now this time it goes to A7, then D and D7. Then G, go to G7, go to C, and to A7. Then to G. Then we go to B7 which can play barred or in the open pattern. So it’s G, to B7, to Em to C. Then it goes G, D, G, then D7.
Ok, so that’s all the chords and that’s the pattern. It’s a verse and chorus combination sort of thing. So the only tricky chord might be the B7 playing the bar or the open chord.
Ok, let’s go through this and work on the strumming pattern. We start in G which will be on the downbeats. We’ll count this out using eighth notes.
Let me play my pattern here and then we’ll count through it. The G is on the downbeat on 1 and 3, same with D. With Em, the pattern will be down up down strumming. It’s going to be down on the 1, up on the and of 2 and then down on 4. Let’s take that slowly.
Then we’re going to go to C which follows a similar strumming pattern to Em but it starts on 3 rather than 1. So it’s down on 1, down on 3, up on and of 4, then down on 2. Then D and D7.
Then we’re going to go to G, D, Em. Then we’re going to go to A7 which keeps the same strumming pattern that we used on C before. Then we go to D and then D7.
Then G, then G7 which follows the same strumming pattern as the Em. To C and then A7 which again follows that same pattern 1, and of 2, 4. G to B7 to Em which again follows that same pattern but we’re going to go to a C this time so we hit that C a bit early. We anticipate it by a beat. Then G, D, G, and D7.
Hopefully, you can work through that and put it all together. That’s how I like to play the rhythm. It always works to just keep with the downbeats; that will be fine.
Maybe to just work out that pattern a little bit, you can practice by strumming eighth notes and then you can kind of feel where those ands and the downbeats are. Anyways, that’s an exercise that you can play with. Make sure your wrist is nice and loose so you can strum those eighth notes, 1 and 2 and 3 and 4 and.
So the song is in the key of G major and I am using a G harmonica then. I use a Hohner Special 20 which is a G diatonic harmonica. Get the harp and holder at George’s Harp Shop: http://www.georgegoodman.com/georgesharpshop
When I’m playing the song, I like to put a harmonica lick over the transitions, in between each verse/chorus section. Just the little turnaround, I’ll put a harmonica part on that. I also play a harmonica solo which is based very closely on the melody and I’ll put that after the second verse/chorus combination.
Let’s see if we can’t put this all together. We’ll start off with an intro with harmonica, then we’ll work through 2 verse/choruses and put in the harmonica solo, then do the final 2 verse/choruses and just finish it up.
All right. Don’t Think Twice It’s All Right – Bob Dylan – guitar and harmonica. I hope you can use that to put the song together. Awesome song. I hope you enjoyed the video. If you did, please leave a comment. I love to hear your comments. Have a great day. Right on. Peace. Cheers.
