Chords for Beginners: Dire Straits

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Great band from the eighties here on the Chords for Beginners blog. Dire Straits is the next participant on the Chords for Beginners, four of their greatest songs are presented below with lyrics and guitar chords. Please give Guitar chords for Beginners blog a huge LIKE and please share the site with your friend! Thanks a lot! 

🎸Post Content:

1. Dire Straits - Walk of Life chords
2. Dire Straits - Sultans of Swing chords
3. Dire Straits - Brothers in Arms chords
4. Dire Straits - Romeo and Juliet chords

Dire Straits emerged during the post-punk era of the late '70s, and while their sound was minimalistic and stripped down, they owed little to punk. If anything, the band was a direct outgrowth of the roots revivalism of pub rock, but where pub rock celebrated good times, Dire Straits were melancholy. Led by guitarist/vocalist Mark Knopfler, the group built their sound upon the laid-back blues-rock of J.J. Cale, but they also had jazz and country inflections. As their career progressed, Dire Straits became more refined and their new maturity happened to coincide with the rise of MTV and the compact disc. They also became one of the world's most commercially successful bands, with worldwide album sales of over 120 million. Dire Straits won numerous music awards during their career, including four Grammy Awards, three Brit Awards—winning Best British Group twice, and two MTV Video Music Awards. Their career spanned a combined total of 15 years. They originally split up in 1988, but reformed in 1991, and disbanded for good in 1995 when Mark Knopfler launched his career full-time as a solo artist. Stay with the Chords for Beginners blog for more! Here is another guitar tab: Hanson chords

Guitar chords for beginners: Dire Straits

Dire Straits – Walk Of Life chords

Great band, great music: Dire Straits – Walk Of Life on the Chords for Beginners Blog. Chords in the song: D, G and A major guitar chords. For original  key use a capo!

Chords for beginners: "Walk of Life" by Dire Straits

Guitar chords: D, G and A major guitar chord
Chords for beginners: Download Magic Chords Book

Chords in original key: Download Magic Chords Book

Capo: Download Magic Chords Book

Guitar chords for beginners: "Walk of Life" by Dire Straits - chord illustrations

Intro: D  G  A  G  A  (4x)

D

Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies
Be-Bop-A-Lua, Baby What I Say
Here comes Johnny singing I Gotta Woman
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
G

He got the action, he got the motion
D

Yeah, the boy can play
G

Dedication devotion
D

Turning all the night time into the day
D                                                             A
He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman
                   D                       G

He do the song about the knife
                   D7  A                              G     A                                   D    

He do the walk,  he do the walk of life, Yeah, he do the walk of life.
D  G  A  G  A

     Woo ho

D  G  D  G...
Here comes Johnny and he'll tell you the story
Hand me down mu walkin' shoes
Here come Johnny with the power and the glory
Backbeat the talkin' blues
He got the action, he got the motion
Yeah, the boy can play
Dedication devotion
Turning all the night time into the day
D  A  D  G
He do the song about the sweet lovin' woman
He do the song about the knife
He do the walk, he do the walk of life
D  G  D  G...
Here comes Johnny singing oldies, goldies
Be-Bop-A-Lula, Baby What I Say
Here comes Johnny singing I Gotta Woman
Down in the tunnels, trying to make it pay
He got the action, he got the motion
Yeah the boy can play
Decidation devotion
Turning all the night time into the day
         D                                    G
And after all the violence and double talk
                       D                                     G

There's just a song in the trouble and the strife
                   D7  A                             G

You do the walk,  you do the walk of life,

A                           D

You do the walk of life...

D  G  A  G  A

     Woo oh...

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Dire Straits – Sultans Of Swing chords

The Dire Straits’ anthem, it is their most succesful song: Sultans of swing. Guitar chords: Am, G, F, E and C major chords. 

Guitar chords for beginners: "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits

Guitar chords: Am, G, F, E and C major
Chords for beginners: Download Magic Chords Book

Chords in original key: Download Magic Chords Book

Capo: Download Magic Chords Book

Guitar chords for beginners: "Sultans of Swing" by Dire Straits - chord illustrations

Intro: Am  G  Am  G

                Am

You get a shiver in the dark
        G                F             E

It's raining in the park but meantime
Am                             G                  F              E

South of the river you stop and you hold everything
C                              G

A band is blowing Dixie double four time
             F                                               Am    F-G

You feel alright when you hear that music ring
 

                               Am                  G            F                E
Well, now you step inside but you don't see too many faces
Am                      G                         F      E

Coming in out of rain to hear the jazz go down
C                                     G

Too much competition, too many other places
       F                                                       Am     F-G

Oh, but the horns, they're blowing that sound
G                            F-G                                Am                Am-G-F-G (2x)

Way on down south,       way on down south London town
                          Am              G           F            E
You check out Guitar George he knows all the chords
Am                                                              G    F             E

Mind he's strictly rhythm he doesn't want to make it cry or sing
C                                         G

Left-handed old guitar is all he can afford
F                                                                       Am   F-G

When he gets up under the lights to play his thing
Am                          G      F               E
And Harry doesn't mind if he doesn't make the scene
Am            G          F                       E

He's got a daytime job, he's doing alright
C                                            G

He can play the honky tonk like anything
F                                 Am       F-G

Saving it up for Friday night
                         F-G                              Am     Am-G-F-G

With the Sultans,      with the Sultans of Swing
Am  G  F  E...

And a crowd of young boys, they're fooling around in the corner

Drunk and dressed in their best brown baggies and their platform soles

They don't give a damn about any trumpet playing band

It ain't what they call rock and roll
                         F-G                                           Am                 Am-G-F-G

And the Sultans,      yeah, the Sultans, they play Creole, Creole
Am  G  F  E...
And then the man, he steps right up to the microphone
And says at last just as the time bell rings
"Goodnight, now it's time to go home."
And he makes it fast with one more thing,
"We are the Sultans, we are the Sultans of Swing."

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How to play chords in "Dire Straits" songs as a beginner?

Mark Knopfler’s guitar work is known for its precision, clean tone, and expressive playing, making it a great study for guitarists looking to improve their skills.

A classic starting point is "Sultans of Swing." While the song is famous for its intricate lead guitar work, the rhythm parts involve straightforward chords like Am, G, F, E and C major chords. Getting these chords right is crucial for capturing the song’s groove. Focus on clean transitions and maintaining a steady rhythm to mirror the song's tight, dynamic feel.

"Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits is a beautiful, haunting ballad with a simple yet powerful chord progression. The song is played in a slow tempo, making it perfect for both beginners and intermediate players who want to focus on the emotional delivery of their playing. Here are the basic chords used in "Brothers in Arms": Am, F, G, C, Em and Dm chords.

"Romeo and Juliet" is another excellent song to practice. The chord progression is based on simple chords like C, Am, G, F and D minor, but it requires a delicate touch to play effectively. The song’s fingerpicking style also provides a great opportunity to work on accuracy and timing.

Guitar chords for beginners: Dire Straits

"Walk of Life" is a fun and upbeat song that uses easy chords like D, G, and A. The challenge here is to maintain the song's lively rhythm, making sure each chord rings out clearly.

Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms chords

The Dire Straits – Brothers In Arms on the Chords for Beginners, Guitar Chords: Am, F, G, C, Em and Dm chords. For original key: Tune your guitar a 1/2 step down!

Guitar chords for beginners: "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits

Guitar chords: Am, F, G, C, Em and Dm
Chords for beginners: Download Magic Chords Book

Chords in original key: Download Magic Chords Book

Capo: Download Magic Chords Book

 

Guitar chords for beginners: "Brothers in Arms" by Dire Straits - chord illustrations

Am                           F      G

These mist-covered mountains
                                 C    F  C

Are a home now for me
                              Am Em

But my home is the lowlands
                            F  G

And always will be
                          Am   Em

Some day you'll return to
                                   F       G

Your valleys and your farms
                                Am

And you'll no longer burn
           Dm            G     Am  F  G

To be brothers in arms
Am  F  G  C...
Through these fields of destruction
Baptisms of fire
I've witnessed your suffering
As the battle raged high
And though they did hurt me so bad
In the fear and alarm
You did not desert me
My brothers in arms
Am            G                    Am      G
There's so many different worlds
                             F      G

So many different suns
Am             G              Am    G

And we have just one world
                                        F     G  F

But we live in different ones
Am  F  G  C...
Now the sun's gone to hell
And the moon riding high
Let me bid you farewell
Every man has to die
But it's written in the starlight
And every line in your palm
We're fools to make war
On our brothers in arms.

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Dire Straits – Romeo and Juliet chords

Chords for Beginners: The Dire Straits – Romeo and Juliet, Play: C, Am, G, F and D minor guitar chords. Capo: see it bellow!

Guitar chords for beginners: "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits

Guitar chords: C, Am, G, F and Dm
Chords for beginners: Download Magic Chords Book

Chords in original key: Download Magic Chords Book

Capo: Download Magic Chords Book

Guitar chords for beginners: "Romeo and Juliet" by Dire Straits - chord illustrations

Intro: C  Am  (4x)

C                              Am                                   G  C

A lovestruck Romeo sings a streetsuss a serenade
C                             G Am                    G         F

Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
G                        F   G                    C

Finds a streetlight, steps out of the shade
          F                                                             G

Says something like, "You and me babe—how 'bout it?"
C                                    G   Am                                             G  C
Juliet says, "Hey it's Romeo. You nearly gimme a heart attack"
C                                           G                  Am              G               F

He's underneath the window; she's singing, "Hey, la, my boyfriend's back.

G                                         F      G                                      C

You shouldn't come around here singing up at people like that.
F                                            G

Anyway what you gonna do about it?"
C      G                      Am       G             F
Juliet, the dice was loaded from the start
           C  G                     Am    G         F

And I bet, then you exploded in my heart
G              C           Am                   F

And I forget, I forget the movie song
Dm                                                F                                  G            C

When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
C  G  Am  G  C...
Come up on different streets, they both were streets of shame
Both dirty, both mean, yes, and the dream was just the same
And I dreamed your dream for you and now your dream is real
How can you look at me as if I was just another one of your deals?
C  G  Am  G  C...
When you can fall for chains of silver you can fall for chains of gold
You can fall for pretty strangers and the promises they hold
You promised me everything, you promised me thick and thin, yeah.
Now you just say, "Oh Romeo, yeah. You know, I used to have a scene with him."
C  G  Am  G  F...
Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
You said, "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you 'til I die."
There's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
C  G  Am  G  C...
I can't do the talks like they talk on the TV
And I can't do a love song like the way it's meant to be
I can't do everything but I'll do anything for you
I can't do anything except be in love with you
C  G  Am  G  C...
And all I do is miss you and the way we used to be
All I do is keep the beat, the bad company
All I do is kiss you through the bars of a rhyme
Julie, I'd do the stars with you any time
C  G  Am  G  F...
Juliet, when we made love you used to cry
You said, "I love you like the stars above, I'll love you 'til I die."
There's a place for us, you know the movie song
When you gonna realize it was just that the time was wrong, Juliet?
C  G  Am  G  C...
And a lovestruck Romeo sings a streetsuss a serenade
Laying everybody low with a love song that he made
Find a convenient streetlight, steps out of the shade
And says something like, "You and me babe—how 'bout it?"
"You and me babe—how about it?"

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