5 Blues Guitar Songs to Learn

Learning guitar playing would never be complete without knowing how to play the blues genre. With the increasing list of genres, blues has proven itself as a popular genre that is definitely worth your attention, especially if you are a guitarist.

To help you off in your task of familiarizing yourself with blues, this article includes the list of 5 blues guitar songs to learn from scratch. The reason why this list is created is to provide the readers first hand experience on how blues feel.

You might be asking, ‘Why from scratch?’ The primary reason here is the way blues songs are. It would be very unlikely for you to learn from hearing a blues song without mimicking its sound scratch.

Besides, it will also help you enhance your creativity. You might be even doing your own version for the even one of the 5 blues guitar songs to learn. Everything is indeed depended upon each other, so it would be better for you to make the most out of your blues experience here. The list is as follows:

1. Born Under a Bad Sign by Albert King – To start the list, it would be noteworthy for you to hear this Albert King song. Aside from his ability to string in notes that highlight his message, Albert King also promoted creativity.

With a basic pentatonic note scale for the bass and a key kept as a slight major, the notes in this song can still be changed into what your ears are pleased to hear. Born Under a Bad Sign also has few chord changes in the C#, so you can still create your own rendition of this song.

2. The Thrill is Gone by B.B. King – The groove this song is famous for will surely leave your audience wanting for more. However, since B.B. King made the bass-line quite complicated, your bassist should be able to play it as accurately as possible. Moreover, The Thrill is Gone will be better as a blues song if more contrasts are made in the vocals.

3. Folsom Prison by Johnny Cash – Although known by many as a country song, Folsom Prison is still a very good example of a blues trainee, especially if you have disregarded its bass line used. 

4. Green Onions by Booker T. & the M.G.s – Considering the riffs of this song, this classic blues composition will be so famous for many blues enthusiasts. The tune is very blues, and, compared to others, it is relatively easier to play.

5. Texas Flood by Larry Davis and Joseph Wade Scott – The remake version of this song by Stevie Ray Vaughan was hugely popular for its outstanding introduction. In fact, your audience will readily recognize the song from the start. If you try to play this song, you will surely end up inventing more versions due to the blues notes included in the G key.

The idea here is to listen more and gain more exposure to different artists. As you listen more, start practicing some of the blues guitar licks and riffs and try to incorporate different styles into your own playing. This would help you develop your own style in blues music.

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