Dust In The Wind chords

by Kansas

Song Key: C Major

Time Signature: 4/4

Tempo: 92 bpm


Standard Guitar Tuning: E A D G B e

Skill Level: Beginner / Intermediate

Chords: C, Cmaj7, Cadd9, Asus2, Asus4, Am, Am/G, G, G/B, G/A, D/F#, Dm7, F, F6, F/A

Arrangement Beginners Intro Tab Song Details
Play-Along Video
R-H Chord Charts Chord Chart Legend
C Major Cmaj7 Cadd9 Am Am/G Asus2 Asus4 G Major G/B D/F# D/F#-V2 Dm7 F Major F6 F/A
L-H Chord Charts Lefties Chord Chart Legend
C Major-LH Cmaj7-LH Cadd9-LH Am-LH Am/G-LH Asus2-LH Asus4-LH G Major-LH G/B-LH D/F#-LH D/F#-V2-LH Dm7-LH F Major-LH F6-LH F/A-LH
Speed: x0.1

Dust In The Wind


             C    Cmaj7     Cadd9       C    Asus2    Asus4     Am       Asus2
Intro: 4/4 |    -        |          -      |        -        |       -         |

             Cadd9    C    Cmaj7    Cadd9      Am     Asus2    Asus4   Am   G/B 
           |             |        -        |       -         | 1+2+    3+4  +  |


      C      G/B  Am      G           Dm7             Am            G/B
1. I  close  my   eyes    On-ly for a mo-ment and the mo-ment’s gone
   C    G/B  Am        G               Dm7          Am
   All  my   dreams    Pass be-fore my eyes a cu-ri-o-si-ty

 
    D/F#    G        Am  Am/G   D/F#            G             Am       G
Chorus: Dust  in the wind       All they are is dust in the | wind / /   |


   C     G/B  Am      G              Dm7          Am           G/B
2. Same  old  song    Just a drop of wa-ter in an end-less sea
   C    G/B  Am    G                Dm7                 Am
   All  we   do    Crum-bles to the ground though we re-fuse to see


    D/F#    G       Am  Am/G   D/F#            G           Am
Chorus: Dust in the wind       All they are is dust in the wind...


             Am           G          F        F6     F
Instr: |   (wind)   |          |    (Oh)    |     -     |
 

             Am           G          F        F6     F
       |            |          |           |     -      |


         C    Cmaj7     Cadd9       C    Asus2    Asus4     Am       Asus2
       |    -        |          -      |        -        |       -         |

         Cadd9    C    Cmaj7    Cadd9      Am     Asus2    Asus4   Am   G/B
       |       -     |        -        |       -         | 1+2+    3+4  +  |
                                                                       (Now)
 
       C     G/B  Am    G                   Dm7           Am           G/B
3. Now don’t hang on    No-thing lasts  for-e-ver but the earth and sky
      C     G/B   Am         G               Dm7             Am
   It slips a  -  way    And all your mon-ey won’t a-no-ther mi-nute buy


    D/F#    G       Am  Am/G    D/F#          G           Am  
Chorus: Dust in the wind        All we are is dust in the wind...

                                       
    D/F#   G        Am  Am/G   D/F#            G            Am
Chorus: Dust in the wind       Ev’-ry-thing is dust in the (wind)...

   Am      Asus2     Asus4     Am    Asus2     Asus4   Am     Asus2
|(wind) -         |        -  (the | wind)  -        |     -         |

   Asus4     Am   Asus2     Asus4   Am    Asus2
‖:        -     |        -        |     -       :‖... repeat to fade

Arrangement Details:

  • Key Signature: C Major - no sharps or flats
  • Time Signature: 4/4 — Four quarter-note beats per measure
  • Tempo: Moderate Folk Style
  • Metronome: ♩ = 92
  • Voice Range: E4 - B5

🎸 Beginners:

  • You might notice a few slash chords in this song — G/D, Am/G, and D/F#.

    A slash chord simply means you play a different bass note than usual. The letter before the slash is the main chord (for example, G), and the note after the slash (like D in G/D) tells you which bass note to play.

    If that sounds a bit tricky — don’t worry! You can just play the regular chords (G, Am, and D) instead.

    The alternate bass notes mainly add a bit of color and smooth movement between chords, especially if you’re playing solo, but they’re not essential.
  • Cadd9 is a C major chord with an added 9th (D).
    Formula: 1-3-5-7-9.

    This is not to be confused with C9, which is a dominant chord — a C7 with an added 9th.
    Formula: 1-3-5-b7-9.

    So in short:
    • Cadd9 sounds bright and open — great for pop and acoustic styles.
    • C9 has a bluesier, more jazzy sound because of the ♭7 note.
  • 🎸 Before You Play
    Make sure you can play all the chords cleanly and smoothly before starting this song — it moves at a fairly busy pace when it comes to chord changes.

    The transitions between chords and their extensions are quite simple, often involving just the movement of one finger — adding or lifting it slightly:

    C → Cmaj7 → Cadd9
    Asus2 → Asus4 → Am → Asus2
    OR
    Am → Asus2 → Asus4 → Am

    Practicing these short progressions first will help your hands flow naturally once you play the full song.
  • In the Guitar Tab below, you'll learn a picking pattern which occurs throughout the entire song.

Dust In The Wind TAB - Intro:

Dust In The Wind Intro - TAB

Song Details:

Point of Know Return Album Cover
Album Cover
  • Songwriter: Kerry Livgren
  • Lyrics Begin: I close my eyes, Only for a moment and the moment’s gone.
  • Genre: Soft rock, Pop rock
  • Featured Artists: Kansas
  • Single:
    Recorded: 1977
    Released: 1978
    B-side: Paradox
  • Album: Point of Know Return
    Recorded: June – July 1977
    Released: October 1977
  • Original band members: Steve Walsh (keyboards, synthesizers, percussion, vocals), Kerry Livgren (lead guitar, keyboards, synthesizers, vocals), Rich Williams (rhythm guitar), Dave Hope (bass, vocals), Phil Ehart (drums, percussion), Robby Steinhardt (violin, vocals).
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