All Along the Watchtower

How to play All Along the Watchtower by The Jimi Hendrix Experience on guitar

These are the sounding chords. With a capo on fret 3 you play F, G, Am, C, Dm, E, the shapes the player above shows.

This is a great song to learn because the groove is steady and the harmony moves in a way that feels powerful right away. You get a strong, driving feel without needing a lot of fast chord changes, so it is a good beginner play-along that still sounds dramatic.

Most of the chart uses barre shapes, with only G as an easier open chord. The main thing to watch is the opening move from G# to A# and back into G# before landing on Cm, since that shift can feel tight at first. Keep your fretting hand close to the strings so the changes stay clean.

Start by looping the opening progression slowly, then practice the barre shapes one at a time until each one rings clearly. After that, connect G# to A# and G# to Cm without stopping, and only then bring it up to tempo. Once the changes feel automatic, play along from start to finish.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.