The easiest blues songs on guitar are the ones built on the twelve-bar blues, which uses only three chords: in the key of E that means E, A and B7. “Sweet Home Chicago”, “Hound Dog”, “Kansas City” and “Before You Accuse Me” all follow it, and “Mannish Boy” is even simpler because it stays on one chord. Learn the pattern once and you can play dozens of blues songs.
Below is the pattern itself, then seven easy blues songs with the chords to use and what each one teaches you.
The Twelve-Bar Blues Pattern
In its simplest form the twelve-bar blues runs I–I–I–I, IV–IV–I–I, V–IV–I–I, where I, IV and V are the first, fourth and fifth chords of the key. In E that is:
- Bars 1–4: E, E, E, E
- Bars 5–8: A, A, E, E
- Bars 9–12: B7, A, E, B7 (the last B7 is the turnaround that leads back to the top)
In A, the same pattern uses A, D and E7. E and A are the best keys for beginners because every chord is an open shape. A common variation is the “quick change”, which moves to the IV chord in bar 2 and back to I in bar 3.
1. “Sweet Home Chicago” – Robert Johnson (1936)
Chords: E, A and B7 as a twelve-bar shuffle (it is often played in other keys too).
Robert Johnson recorded it in 1936, and it became a blues standard; the Blues Brothers made it famous for a wider audience. Play it with a shuffle feel, long-short, long-short, and use the classic boogie pattern of moving between the fifth and sixth on the low strings if you want to sound like the band versions.
2. “Hound Dog” – Big Mama Thornton (1953)
Chords: a three-chord twelve-bar blues; in E use E, A and B7.
Written by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller and first recorded by Big Mama Thornton, “Hound Dog” is a straightforward twelve-bar blues, so it is ideal for practising the pattern above at a medium tempo. It also shows how the same three chords sound in rock and roll, since Elvis Presley’s later version uses the same form.
3. “Kansas City” – Wilbert Harrison (1959)
Chords: I, IV and V of a twelve-bar blues; in A use A, D and E7.
Leiber and Stoller wrote this one too, and Wilbert Harrison’s 1959 recording topped the charts. The lyric lines are short and leave room between the vocal phrases, which is where beginners can add simple fills or just keep strumming.
4. “Before You Accuse Me” – Bo Diddley (1957)
Chords: E, A and B7 in a twelve-bar form.
Bo Diddley recorded it in 1957, and Eric Clapton’s acoustic version on his 1992 Unplugged album is the one most players learn from. It sits at a comfortable tempo and works well on an acoustic guitar with a steady shuffle strum.
5. “Mannish Boy” – Muddy Waters (1955)
Chords: one chord, with a repeating stop-time riff.
“Mannish Boy” features a repeating stop-time figure on one chord throughout the song, so there are no chord changes to learn at all. The skill it teaches is timing: hit the riff together with the band, then let it stop dead while the vocal answers.
6. “Hoochie Coochie Man” – Muddy Waters (1954)
Chords: I, IV and V in a sixteen-bar blues.
Written by Willie Dixon, it doubles the first four bars of the twelve-bar pattern, so the song stays on the home chord for eight bars before moving. The famous stop-time riff fills those first eight bars. It is a good second step once the twelve-bar form feels natural; see our list of songs that use the sixteen-bar blues for more.
7. “The Thrill Is Gone” – B.B. King (1969)
Chords: Bm, Em, G, F#7 and back to Bm.
B.B. King’s version is a slow twelve-bar blues in B minor, which makes it the easiest way into minor blues. Bm and F#7 are barre chords, so learn it after the songs above. Roy Hawkins and Rick Darnell wrote it in 1951.
Tips for Playing Easy Blues on Guitar
- Use dominant seventh chords. E7, A7 and B7 sound more like the blues than plain major chords.
- Count the bars out loud. Most mistakes in the twelve-bar blues are moving to the next chord a bar early.
- Learn the shuffle rhythm. Strum or pick in a long-short swing, not straight eighth notes.
- Try the eight-bar form next. Our page on songs that use the eight-bar blues shows the shorter pattern.
Frequently Asked Questions
- What is the easiest blues song to play on guitar? “Mannish Boy”, because it stays on one chord. Of the twelve-bar songs, “Hound Dog” and “Kansas City” are the most straightforward.
- What key should a beginner play the blues in? E or A. Both let you use open chords for I, IV and V.
- How many chords are in a blues song? A standard twelve-bar blues uses three: I, IV and V.
- Where can I find more blues songs to learn? Our list of the best blues songs of all time is a good place to look for more twelve-bar tunes.
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