Bob Dylan - How to play "Masters of War" - Part 2

[@The2dayhangover]

It's a war crime that more people have not watched this video. Thanks very much from Cape Town. Superb!

[@TheMisterMonkeyman]

Thank you for taking the time to post this. You are the only person on YT that shows how to actually play the song correctly. You showed the nuances of the song that make it sound correct and good. Also no-one else used the capo. You showed it all in a concise and easy to follow way. I really appreciate it. It sounds great. Peace.

[@Lowdenjim]

+TheMisterMonkeyman Thank you for your support and endorsement of authenticity! I try to study exactly how Dylan played his songs, mainly by listening closely to the recording many, many times and gradually playing along with it. When I was learning that was all you could do - no KZbin, no tutorials, no TV replays.....nothing. Players have the opportunity to advance their skills much quicker these days! Good luck with yours!

[@NeolardoPwn]

You are the most helpful guy when it comes to teaching Bob Dylan's songs. Thanks for sharing !

[@Lowdenjim]

Thank you for your support - very good luck with the song!

[@magdalenpurcell6925]

Brilliant lesson. So comprehensive.

[@davejive1]

Hi Jim due to the current situation in Ukraine I felt compelled to learn this song, which is as appropriate today as it was back in the 60’s. It is always a great pleasure to me to learn the right way to play Bob Dylan’s songs from you. Many thanks.

[@Lowdenjim]

You're most welcome Dave; thank you for your support and the shout-out for the Ukrainian people. Power-hungry autocrats never get the message, but Dylan's songs can never be undermined by lunatic dictators. Good luck with this song.

[@Pfunky2007]

Hey Jim, great job on this how to series, very well done!! There's so much great info. in this one and I especially like when you cover this song in the intro; it sounds great!! I also really like the blues techniques and strumming tips you explain the end. Definitely looking forward to tackling this one shortly. Going to be busy with these new Dylan how to's and loving it! Thx for posting! :)

[@watchitoryouwontknow]

Thanks a lot. I had to run so many tutos before I found yours! Great, finely detailed, etc etc.

[@Lowdenjim]

Thank you very much for your support and good luck with this great Dyaln classic!

[@MrJekk1]

Greetings from Russia! I have been enjoying Greenwich Village music for years and your insightful lessons have been a huge inspiration for me. Keep up the good work, sir.

[@Lowdenjim]

Cheers Paul - good luck with it and I am looking forward to you covering it soon.

[@chomskrab]

absolutely brilliant sir , i doff an imaginary stokers cap in your direction , and thank you for your time and effort , best version online , and such an important song to share . i've spent a week , every-night with your good self , a kind stranger with time , patience and talent . there's a whisky with your name on it , should you ever find yourself in bonnie scotland .

[@Lowdenjim]

+aye the Rab Bless you my tartan hero - a bottle of 12 year old Glen Farclas will do nicely; just need your address and phone number for future reference. Now where's mi Tam o'Shanter.......... Good luck with the song my friend!

[@greekgod8591]

thanks for the video Jim, great lesson

[@ara1156]

Great job man, I learned so much from this. One of those songs I've wanted to learn for a while

[@Lowdenjim]

"A RA" - Thank you for your support and very good luck with the song!

[@scadet17]

All of your tutorial videos are awesome! Also about the slight intonation problems with the tape, they actually used to do that back in the day, so that when people tried to learn the songs by ear, they could never really get it. They did it to sell song books because no one could figure out why they didn't sound the same! It's a record label trick :)

[@nellysoubeyran1744]

A big big thaks for sharing so patiently and kindly ! ... from a west coast french beginner

[@Lowdenjim]

Thank you for your support Nelly; you are most welcome. Very good luck with the song.

[@nellysoubeyran1744]

A warm welcome too Lowdenjim on Another side of Bob Dylan facebook.com/miss.lonely64 Thanks for your help partner ! Miss Lonely

[@nellysoubeyran1744]

"Vous les maîtres du monde Les experts de la guerre Vous qui armez les bombes Les avions mortifères Cachés derrière des murs Et cachés sous des masques Vous pouvez être sûrs Que je vois vos grimaces" Miss Lonely "Maîtres du Monde" MASTERS OF WAR BOB DYLAN Soon on Another side of Bob Dylan facebook.com/miss.lonely64

[@bimonsolivar8898]

Underrated! Awesome job there, thank you!

[@Lowdenjim]

Thank you for your valued support and very good luck with the song!

[@nellysoubeyran1744]

it deserve to be practice so and so waitin' for the next Dylan challenge on the same scene ... Change nothin' ... Thanks Man !

[@Lowdenjim]

On the words "...just want you to know" it moves from a Dm to a "Cadd2" as you hit that 5th string on the word "know" followed by a "G" chord (no 6th string fretted) hitting that 5th string again on the word "see" as you sing "I can see though your masks" before hitting the "blue" note on the 6th string in the 3rd fret (bending it slightly) on the word "your". I hope that helps - get back to me if you need further help. Good luck!

[@bareerlend]

This was very helpful, the only thing I miss is commenting the hammer on he uses on the 3rd string. Apart from that this was perfect, so thanks a bunch!

[@ara1156]

You've got so many vids, I just scanned through. You should do a tutorial on It's Alright Ma (I'm Only Bleeding), I haven't found a really satisfactory lesson of that on YT. And more Willie Nelson tunes (I Can See Clearly Now is a solo I've always wanted to learn, can't pick out solos by ear) But, do what you do, and keep it up, thanks!

[@heldinahtmlhell]

I'm an absolute beginner and have followed a few of your other tutorials (best on KZbin, by far), but, I'll be honest, this one left me in the dust. :-) I can't get which strings you're hitting when.. You seem (to my consummately untrained) eye to be sort of hitting the bass strings on the first and the treble strings for the other 2 beats (and upstrokes), but then abandoning that when the other bass notes come along? Might have to come back to this one :-)

[@Kupferdrahtful]

Thanks a lot for the great guide love such a good insight in such good songs :)

[@Lowdenjim]

Kupferdrahtful You're very welcome; thank you for your support and good luck with the song!

[@Lowdenjim]

Thank you very much and good luck with the song!

[@JonnyGiger]

thx man! got it!

[@leapsplashafrog]

Could you possibly do rambling gamblin Willie? Do you know the chords? Thanks

[@mickchilds2580]

Another great video Jim now I’ll have to look at all your others! Sadly I’m a little late for the party

[@Lowdenjim]

Thanks for your valued support Mick and very good luck with the song. Though it's 9 years since I made these videos, I still use them myself to teach me (remind me) how to play the song when I want to sing it again!

[@Laurensnl]

On which count do you throw in your ring finger on the Dm? The strumming is 1 (bass) and than 2 & 3 & on first 4 strings? And is it just for the word 'of' so only one down or up beat? 

[@Lowdenjim]

The basic pattern is to play with down strokes on the main counts of 1, 2, 3 with light "brush" up-strokes in between the 2nd & 3rd beats and between the 3rd and 1st, so a basic count then of 1 2&3& 1 2&3& 1 2&3..... The main beat is of course on the bass string/s on the count of 1 with the heaviest strum, followed by a down beat on the treble strings (with less emphasis); subsequent up-strokes also carry less emphasis. The "&" counts represent the up-strokes (half beats). The word "of" in the line "Come you masters of war" is on the 3rd beat so is a down-stroke. I hope this helps - good luck with the song.

[@leapsplashafrog]

Great lessons thanks again

[@ProducShuns]

You're really good! And the tutorial is great, thanks for posting this I love Dylan, especially this song, it's so cynical >:D

[@Beebo888]

I’m still struggling with this song. Any chance you have tab written out? I get the dm “come you master of war” but the inbetween lines are using the c chord that contains just the 2nd and 5th string on the 3rd fret? Are you doing a lift off there too?

[@Beebo888]

Or that cad chord only the 3rd beat of the “response” line with Beats 1 and 3 being dm?

[@Lowdenjim]

Hi Cara - I'm sorry I don't use tab. The "lift off" you refer to is probably the variation to the Dm chord covered in Part 1 (around the 2 min 40 mark) where I lift off the 1st finger as I play the 4th string in the 3rd fret (003230) as distinct from the Dm where you can simply add your 3rd finger to get that extra note (003231). It's interesting to try variations to see how they sound - even lifting the 2nd finger works ok too. The important thing to note is the change coming on "(Dm) Come you Masters (dm)OF(Dm) War".

[@Lowdenjim]

@@Beebo888 The C+2 chord is played in the so-called repeat or response on the same note; ie. ("Come you masters (C+2) OF war"). You can use a lift-off/hammer-on the 3rd string 2nd fret as you return to the Dm chord. I hope this helps, but you may see it more clearly if you use the settings icon to slow the video down to 3/4 or even half speed. Good luck - get back to me if you need further help Cara.

[@DonLucio96]

One of the most authentic ways to play this Dylan-masterpiece. And a great tutorial. Thank you! Though I find it quite hard to play, well, it needs practice. But there is one aspect of your playing that I cannot achieve with my guitar: I'm talking about this sharp, crisp sound, esp. on the "&3"-strum. When I do that strumming on my guitar (a 300$-Tanglewood) it wouldn't sound that sharp, crisp way, by far not. So I suspect you are using some short-time muting on your strum? (Though I cannot see it from the video).

[@Lowdenjim]

Hi Don - I don't think I've replied to your question yet (my apologies). The strumming method used needs to emphasize the treble strings (with either your finger-nail or plectrum) by striking the strings close to the bridge to get a sharp crisp sound. My guitar is rosewood and quite mellow with more bass-end tones than some guitars so you shouldn't have any problem getting the brighter sound from your Tanglewood. My tips on the sound start from 09:30 in the video. New strings help with a brighter tone too, and the type of strings you choose. Good luck, but get back to me if you need any further help.

[@kennethguitarfiend4493]

Thx a lot for this!!! Is there any chance you could make a similar tutorial for it‘s alright ma? It’s my all time favorite song but there is only a couple on KZbin and not done as good as you can ergo they aren’t any help at all... I’d really appreciate. Oh and one small question: why do you keep the b string pressed on the first fret? Is there a reason I don’t get? Because you already have your third finger on it on the 3rd fret... is it not so? Sorry in advance if it’s a dumb question and it’s just me... 😔

[@Lowdenjim]

You're most welcome Kenneth - thank you for your comment and request. "It's Alright Ma" isn't a song I've ever covered, simply because I learn songs mainly for playing in public and I tend to stick with songs that are less than 5 or 6 mins long. However, I'll give it consideration because several folks now have asked me for this song, and I've looked at what's available here on KZbin, and you're right - they're not very helpful, and no-one seems to get very close to Dylan's original recording/playing of it. I think the problem is they seem to overlook the fact that it's based on Dm7 rather than D, and also fail to get the rhythm of the song - possibly because it's fast-paced and the chord changes are quick. In answer to your question: it's a matter of technique and ease of playing because the Dm chord is associated closely with chords Dm7, F, Am and Am7, all of which require 1st finger on 2nd fret, so it facilitates easier and quicker chord changes. Also, leaving fingers in position when fretting notes 2 or 3 frets higher up the string is more efficient, and avoids "Flying Finger Syndrome" whereby fingers are constantly lifting off and back on unnecessarily. My apologies for the lengthy response but I hope it helps...... it certainly wasn't a "dumb question", and as a teacher over many years I could never accept there was such a thing!

[@kennethguitarfiend4493]

very helpful thx. in the meantime i'll give masters of war a go but you'll forgive me if i prey for you, while considering, to finallly decide to cover it's alright ma... no pressure here... i've been playing guitar for two years now, all without lessons... 3 hours a day or more, no exceptions. decided to start piano as well now, i think it'll give me a better understading of how music works... i'm still totally amazed and overwhelmed... keep up the good work and a heartfelt thank you.

[@Lowdenjim]

Masters of War is a great start as it shares chords and technique with "Its Alright Ma" so the skills are transferable. I think "Masters" is slightly more difficult than "Its Alright Ma" in terms of playing, but the song is much easier! Good luck with the piano too - I wish I had the time and patience to learn it. 3 hours a day is dedicated learning!

[@SohoNights]

Thank you so much!

[@Lowdenjim]

Thank you - good luck with it!

[@GeoffNelson]

this is excellent! thanks very much!

[@Lowdenjim]

Cheers Geoff; you are very welcome. Thank you for your support and very good luck with the song.

[@SandyMartinelliSullivan]

Great lesson, Thanks!!

[@Lowdenjim]

Thank you Sandy and very good luck with the song!

[@Lowdenjim]

Thank you very much - you are most welcome.

[@mickhowson7961]

great tutorial video but you missed out one of the most important parts of the guitar arrangement which is the hammer ons on the third string when the Dm chord is played right through the song

[@Lowdenjim]

Thank you for your support Mick. I assume you are referring to the 3rd fret hammer-ons on the 4th string rather than the 3rd string? I believe I have covered all the hammer-ons that Dylan used in the recording, but I do suggest using his varied techniques to interpret the song in your own way rather than slavishly following Dylan's recording note for note. I think it makes for more creative and individual playing that is so important in developing your style. Good luck with it!

[@mickhowson7961]

@@Lowdenjim I just checked it again .hammer ons on the third string second fret right through the song as well as the ones you mentioned. I remember a local guitarist Mick Strode teaching me this and a lot of other Dylan songs in the early sixties.

[@Lowdenjim]

@@mickhowson7961 Ok, cheers Mick; I'll check it out!

[@Lowdenjim]

OK Mick - I was on holiday over the last 2 weeks when replying to your comment so have now picked up my guitar and played this song again (1st time in many, many years!). I play it with occasional lift-off/hammer-on without thinking about it so probably never realised it needed explaining in the tutorial. I'll add a 3rd video to cover it, and do a full song demo to round it off. I've taken Dylan's recording and increased playback speed by 2.5% to bring it to concert pitch too in order to play along with the track. Thanks again for the "heads-up" Mick.

[@hanstheisen7182]

Jim, I love this video. What are the chances that you will record this video again in a better quality? Anyway, cheers from Copenhagen, Denmark!

[@Lowdenjim]

Hi Hans - I assume you mean the video rather than the audio? I still have the original WMA file I used (which is better defintion than this one as uploaded). I can send it to you if you want it.

[@hanstheisen7182]

yes please. I will see if I can find your email and we can communicate via email. Or you can upload it on wetransfer and post the download link? Then we don’t have to publish our email here? And yes, the video!

[@jorgeluanteixeira304]

Dude... Thanks a lot!

[@Lowdenjim]

You are very welcome Jorge; good luck with the song!

[@TheHackmo]

thanks comrade. i'll study that. tx Mcdylan.

[@Lowdenjim]

+TheHackmo You're welcome - very good luck with it!

[@ninjadude860]

i need more help been watching these two videos everyday and can not get it can you offer more help my sound dose not sound like your sound

[@Lowdenjim]

+ninjadude860 Hi Ninja - can certainly help, but I need to know the nature of those differences. May I first of all ask what type of guitar you have and the strings you use? My guitar is a Norman Dreadnought with Indian Rosewood back/sides & Spruce top fitted with D'Addario EJ16's. Obviously guitars project different sounds based on many factors, but the size, body shape, tonewoods and strings are the main ones.

[@ninjadude860]

imma just keep working at it thanks for the replie

[@ninjadude860]

four yeas later still trying to get it to sound like the way you play it lol

[@TheFirestarter2011]

brilliant, many things :)

[@Jaygo99]

Hi Jim, Brilliant yet again, as a child of the sixties (they say if you remember it you weren't there) all your lessons are quite poignant. Very sad about the footy today lets hope for better next season. Regards John

[@Lowdenjim]

Thanks - the song is just as relevant today (unfortunately)

[@zaisiazseethroughlies3607]

thanks. s

[@Lowdenjim]

zaisiazsee throughlies You're very welcome - good luck with the song!

[@Lowdenjim]

If that's true I'm gonna sue!

[@ninjadude860]

very frustrated