I think as with many earlyish Dylan songs, it’s easy to get away with something that is not 100 % as it’s written down in chord sheets or tabs. As long as you are playing alone and there are no fellow musicians to take into account of course.
I think with such a lyrics driven song, it’s almost most important to try to convey the lyrics. I mean, look at this fantastic Springsteen version. Granted he plays harmonica, but otherwise he is taking quite a lot of liberty. The lyrics, however, are as relevant in this Springsteen version as ever.
So… I’m tempted to say: Don’t worry too much about the groove as long as your version makes sense to you …
Faur comment, Nicole, but I so want to play it with that kind of rolling rhythm (not sure how to describe it). Guess all about accents as much as a strumming pattern.
Let’s say naively assuming that such old-fashioned protest songs would have positive effect, if they could help to make the world a bit better, I would greatly welcome some new old fashioned ones.
Oooh … How much I would like to learn this song (min 7:50 onwards) and if it’s only for the howling Now I might have half an hour this afternoon before I have to leave for the guitar lesson…
Great video otherwise as well. Someone send the guy to Finland for a gig already…
Listened to the original now ( hadn’t done so for decades). Difficult to get past the harmonica bits, as much as I like listening to most any blues harp on blues songs, I’m just not a fan of the Dylan harp style…
The jingly jangly feeling, you mean? At least I’m not able to reproduce that really, but of course I’m lazily transferring 6:8 strumming to 3:4.
I’ll get my verdict this afternoon (back to three strums per bar want to bet?) unless Jari storms out as soon as I start singing… (If I dare to)
I’m sure someone must be writing them, it’s not like everything has been fixed, although I’m not sure learning to play songs about how broken the world is now would be good for my wellbeing!
Yes, plenty (depending on your definition of “new”, I guess)! Just a few to check out:
Redemption Song – Bob Marley
Washington Bullets – The Clash
Fight the Power – Public Enemy
American Skin (41 Shots) – Bruce Springsteen
American Idiot – Green Day
White Man’s World – Jason Isbell
Talkin’ Bout a Revolution – Tracy Chapman
Alright – Kendrick Lamar
This is America – Childish Gambino
Rich Men North of Richmond – Oliver Anthony
Seems like much of today’s protest music is in the hip-hop world, which I don’t listen to a lot. I could give you a much longer list of Dylan-era (and earlier) protest music, but you probably don’t need me for that
It’s an interesting discussion. There are surely many more relatively recently recorded songs with roots in or inspiration taken from well known folk protest songs - even when of course the musical forms will be different and varied.
Perhaps the discussion is not so much about old vs. new, but about being relevant and not relevant.
I think new is maybe more about age, when the song was written and recorded. If written and recorded in 2024 that would be new, 2023 new. But 2020, is that new? Perhaps it becomes relative? Compared to Blowin’ in the Wind it could be considered new. Given that Blowin’ is now 62 years old and (sadly) still as relevant today as when it was first performed.
I don’t mind. It’s relevant given my “strum something” choice. And of course we have a moderator here in our discussion group midth, who can always outsource this to a separate topic, should there be a need , right @DavidP ?
Interesting, these guys would surely be fun live…
This is getting quite philosophical. I’m sure some clever music professor or sociology scholar have published articles on this. Both limited to protest song history and culture and the general question when old music is new and new music is old.
Andrea’s example band e.g. really goes for an old-fashioned classic rock vibe combined with outspoken lyrics, while publishing the song rather recently…
Happy to do so, Nicole. I tend to let general chat run it’s course, provided it’s not upsetting you in this case, and not something that is answering a learning-related question. SO let me know if you’d like me to shift all the chat about protest songs to a “Just chatting” at any point
I vividly remember listening to The times they are a changing on the album of the same name around 1966 and can still remember my dad looking up at me at the line
‘’your sons and your daughters are beyond your command” and saying “oh do you think so”. He also commented that he’d never before heard such an awful singer!
Here’s a live version of the song where Dylan uses a very different strum pattern.
Your dad was a bit scared maybe that things would indeed change soon…
I have never heard this version before, thanks. I don’t really know what to think about it. I don’t like it, because it sounds so bored… and… speed harmonica? That at least they could have been leaving out. Then again, the speed, the “let’s get this over with attitude” are very interesting and surely meant as meaningful commentary - it’s just not very pleasant to listen to
Completely understand that, I mean: See how it looks at you, you can’t be mad at this pig, no matter what it has done. Those puppy eyes…
Thank you so much, Nicole! I appreciate how much you and others around here care for my and our well being. This kind of support and thoughtfulness is one of the best things about the JG-community in general and the good folks around here in particular!
Leave it to me to spend a lot of time in my in person lessons asking questions and discussing with Jari (teacher). Leave it to me owning my learning and realizing (also based on these discussions) which bad habits should be tackled next. Leave it to me realizing that I really, really have to find more time for music theory, ear training and eventually transcribing.
I am very satisfied how well combining the in person lessons with JG works for me. Does that mean that I am making significant and fast progress? No. No, it doesn’t. But it means that I’m becoming more aware of things I want to improve and that I really need to learn (music theory, ear training, transcribing). And it means that although I’m back at work, I am playing guitar dedicatedly. And that’s something to celebrate almost.
Last week’s lesson showed that I am not bad at playing in 3:4. Last week also inspired me to experiment more with picks (see the big jar of picks picture posted some days ago).
This week showed that while I can play “straight” 4:4, 3:4, 6:8 etc. strumming patterns, shuffle rhythm is alien to me. I know in theory what it should sound like, but asked to try it myself I more or less immediately restored to “straight” rhythm. This will be a major challenge for me - but one that I can surely conquer in the next weeks, months or years.
I also realized that I need a much lighter touch. This will be a big issue to work on before the next lesson in two weeks. I’ll start with some chord progressions Jari gave me and of course continue with “Heroes” and the changing times as well.
One of these chord progressions contains an F# minor. So this will be another huge challenge. So far I tried that chord once and surprisingly immediately got all strings to ring out… might have been a one off
Now I might have half an hour this afternoon before I have to leave for the guitar lesson… 
I already had the pig between my fingers when I played this eve, but then those eyes looked at me and I gave it mercy…
I appreciate how much you and others around here care for my and our well being. 
This kind of support and thoughtfulness is one of the best things about the JG-community in general and the good folks around here in particular!