I Remember when I first heard the blues. There was just something that clicked. And then I wondered Is it Hard to Learn Blues Guitar? After hearing Freddy King one of my favorite blues man. I knew I needed to learn how to play the blues. Fast forward 30 plus years. And Now I am going to show you how easy learning the blues is.
So if your wondering is it hard to learn Blues guitar? The Answer is no! There are forms, Licks, Riffs and Turnarounds, that you need to learn. And once you learn these techniques and where to use them. You will find that the blues guitar is not hard to learn. In-fact once you learn the steps you will be able to play 100’s of blues songs.
If you want to learn more about learning the blues guitar. Then continue with me and let me show you how easy it is to play the blues.
How to Play Easy Blues
One of the easiest things to learn. When starting to play the blues. Is the 12 bar blues. The 12 bar blues can be found in more than just “the Blues,”music. You can hear the blues in a lot of Genres. Rock and Roll, Country and even the blues. In Songs Like “Keep Your Hands to Yourself”, The Kentucky Headhunters.
There are forms and techniques to learn. That once you know them you are able to play 100 if not 1000 of blues songs. I show you all of a blues composition in my latest guitar course. Learn the Secrets to make playing the Blues a breeze. Easy Blues Composition video lessons.
The 12 bar Blues is a form in which you play the chords through 12 bars. In case you don’t know a bar in music is a measure of music. If you are in 4/4 timing you have 4 beats in a measure. Or bar of music. Basically you are counting the beats in a measure of music. 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4, 1 2 3 4.
1 2 3 4 is one bar. So you have 12 of them. But you are not playing all the same chords. All though you are usually playing Dominant 7th chords. When you are the blues.
And you are playing the 1, 4, 5 chords. Which is a lesson in itself.
To play a boogie woogie in the key of E this is what you would need to play. E5, A5, and B5. These chords may seem foreign to you. But don’t get worried about the names. Just think of them as an E chord. A and B chord. Then you will be able to rap your mind around it.
So starting out you are going to play the E5 chord. Look at the chord diagrams on how to fret these chords.

Start With Easy Chords
Playing an Easy Blues. Start with the E5 chord. What you want to do is; Place your first finger at the second fret on the A string. The way to play this chord is by playing the open E string. Which is the 6th string and the B. Which is the fretted second string. Playing both notes at the same time. Which means playing both the 6th and 5th string together.
After that then you use your 3rd finger. Placing it down on the 4th fret. On the A string. The rhythm that you want is played by picking the E5 chord two times. Then Placing that third finger down. Then playing the 6th and 5th string two times. In essence your playing the E5 1 and 2 Then Place your 3rd finger down. Playing 1 and 2. You toggle back and forth.
You want to practice this before you go on to the A5 chord.
When you get to the A5 it’s a lot easier. Because you are doing the exact same thing as when you were Playing the E5. Only everything is moved up a string. Try the A5. Then practice playing the E5 and the A5. Next is the B5 chord.
When you get to the B5 chord. You are playing the 5th and 4th string at the same time. Again your first finger is on the 5th string. At the second fret. Then your third finger is at the fourth fret of the 4th string.
What you are learning is called a boogie woogie. Which has been around since the early 1920’s. It is actually a Genre of music. Source
There are lots of bits that go along with the Blues. That make up a complete composition. If you are interesting in learning the 12 bar blues form, Turnarounds, Riffs and lots of secrets that will make it easy for you to play the blues. I would recommend the Easy Blues Composition Course. That will get you playing a complete blues song ASAP. Get the Course before the Sale is over.
What is the Most Common Key for Blues?
The Blues is heard a lot in the key of E and G. But the most common is the key of A. The reason being is that it is one of the easiest keys to play in. And then secondly it sounds great. Although a lot of songs are done in the key of E. You can learn the blues in different keys. But starting out with the Key of A. Will make it easy to learn when your learning the Pentatonic scale and the Blues Scale. This is why I say the most common is the Key of A.
12 Bar Blues
Like I was saying there is a form in the blues. And once you learn this then you can play lots of blues songs. All though there are songs that are 8 bar blues. Which is few and far between. The majority of modern day blues is played with the 12 bar blues format. This is another lesson that is covered in the Easy Blues Composition Course.
What are the 3 chords used in the 12 bar blues?
When you are playing a 12 bar blues. It would depend what key you are in on what chords you would be playing. Usually you are playing a 1 4 5 in the Key. The chords are the one chord. The 4 and 5 chord. Also you are usually playing Dominant 7 chords. More advance blues you will play the 9 chords and 13’s.
For example if you are playing in the Key of A. The chords would be A7, E7, D7. Look at the Chords for common keys listed below.
Keys | 1 Chord | 4 Chord | 5 Chord |
A | A | D | E |
Bb | Bb | Eb | F |
B | B | E | F# |
C | C | F | G |
C# | C# | F# | G# |
E | E | A | B |
G | G | C | D |
Related Article: How to Play Sweet Home Chicago guitar lesson.
Are Telecasters Good for the Blues?
Telecasters sound great. Whether your playing the blues or a Country song. The Tele has a great tone for several Genres of music. A Great Blues Musician that plays lots of different guitars is Robin Ford. And one of his guitars is a Telecaster and he makes it sound even better. It all depends in the tone you are trying to get.
I found the Best Price on Amazon for the Telecaster. See the Different colors too.
If you want a thinner tone. Then the Telecaster is the way to go. If you want a chunky Rock N Roll bluesy sound then go with a Les Paul, or more economical the Epiphone Dot. But to answer your question a Telecaster can be used for playing the Blues.

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Related Article: What guitars are good for the blues?
Related Questions
Easy Blues Guitar Riffs
Everyone want’t to learn Riffs. There are so many cool riffs. Some of the best are really easy to learn too. Like the Boogie woogie Riff in the Key of E. And then you can play a boogie woogie in lot’s of different keys.
One of my favorites is in the key of A. If you want to be able to play easy Riffs, Licks, Turnarounds and learn it all the fastest and quickest way. Right from the beginning you will learn step by step the blues. Take a look at the Easy Blues Composition Video Lessons that is on sale now.
How to Play the Blues on Acoustic Guitar
The Blues can be played on an Electric guitar or an acoustic. It is a lot easier just to whip out the acoustic guitar and start jamming. I have a lot of blues video’s on my YouTube Channel. YourGuitarGuide . Where you can learn how to play Eric Clapton songs and much more. Check it out and if you like what you see consider Subscribing. For more guitar tips.