Dust in the Wind Guitar Lesson – Kansas

About this lesson

With our guitar tutorial on Dust in the Wind, you will learn these guitar skills: Chord changes, Chords, Strumming patterns.

Dust in the Wind by Kansas is a truly great fingerpicking guitar song, from an era when music stars were real musicians. It is one of those songs that you'll be playing for many years to come, as it never gets boring.

Now the song may seem difficult when listening to it, but I promise you it's not. Once you know the chords and the picking pattern, you'll be all set.

Our Dust in the Wind video guitar tutorial starts off by introducing you to the main chords you'll need to know to play the song. The song is played in the key of C, and revolves primarily around the C major, A minor, and a couple of other chords in the key of C.

Once you know the chords, you'll learn the strumming version of the song as well, which not only sounds great but is also useful for practicing the chord progression and learning those chord changes. Make sure you download and print the tabs as well since you'll find the exact chords to Dust in the Wind, which you'll be able to use when you're practicing on your own.

Once you know the chords, you'll learn the fingerpicking pattern. Learn it well, as it repeats all throughout the song. After the picking pattern, you'll learn to play all of Dust in the Wind on your guitar, including the intro, verse, chorus, as well as the interlude they play during the violin solo.

You'll be doing lots and lots of fingerpicking with this one, as well as learning a neat strumming pattern, which will come in handy while learning to change between the chords of the song, and also if you are playing along with other guitarists.

It's great fun to have 1 guitarist do the fingerpicking part, and another one strum along with the chords, try it when you get a chance! And of course, if you are the singing type, you'll be able to sing along while playing the chords.

Dust in the Wind song details

Dust in the Wind was released by the American rock band Kansas in 1977 on their album Point of Know Return. It was one of the band's first acoustic tracks, its slower-paced melody, acoustic dominance, and melancholic lyrics make it unique in their discography.

The guitar part is originally played by two guitarists simultaneously, one in standard tuning and the other in Nashville tuning. This creates a lively, chimey sound similar to a twelve-string guitar. The song's interlude features a distinctive melodic line played on the violin.

Dust in the Wind is Kansas' most successful composition and was used in several TV shows, including Desperate Housewives, The Simpsons, American Idol, Family Guy, etc. It was also covered by dozens of artists as well.

Dust in the Wind awards and chart rankings

• U.S. Billboard Hot 100: #6
• U.S. Billboard Adult Contemporary: #6
• Canadian RPM Top Singles: #3

Skills you'll learn