16 Easy Blues to Learn (From First Licks to Slow Blues) · #1 of 16
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Boom Boom

John Lee Hooker · 1962 · solo by John Lee Hooker
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Learn to play · 16 solos

16 Easy Blues Guitar Solos to Learn (From First Licks to Slow Blues)

Blues is where most guitarists learn to phrase, and these solos are the traditional way in. The list starts with John Lee Hooker and Howlin' Wolf riffs and the slow bends of B.B. King's The Thrill Is Gone. Then it moves to Albert King and Freddie King licks, and finishes with the slow blues standards teachers set as the next step: Red House, Stormy Monday and Tin Pan Alley. Every video starts at the solo.

  1. 1
    Boom Boom
    John Lee Hooker · solo by John Lee Hooker · 1962
  2. 2
    Smokestack Lightning
    Howlin' Wolf · solo by Hubert Sumlin & Willie Johnson · 1956
  3. 3
    Waitin' for the Bus
    ZZ Top · solo by Billy Gibbons · 1973
  4. 4
    Strange Brew
    Cream · solo by Eric Clapton · 1967
  5. 5
    The Thrill Is Gone
    B.B. King · solo by B.B. King · 1969
  6. 6
    Rock Me Baby
    B.B. King · solo by B.B. King · 1964
  7. 7
    Born Under a Bad Sign
    Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1967
  8. 8
    I'm Tore Down
    Freddie King · solo by Freddie King · 1961
  9. 9
    Mary Had a Little Lamb
    Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1968
  10. 10
    Damn Right, I've Got the Blues
    Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1991
  11. 11
    Hide Away
    Freddie King · solo by Freddie King · 1961
  12. 12
    Sweet Little Angel
    B.B. King · solo by B.B. King · 1965
  13. 13
    Pride and Joy
    Stevie Ray Vaughan · solo by Stevie Ray Vaughan · 1983
  14. 14
    Red House
    The Jimi Hendrix Experience · solo by Jimi Hendrix · 1967
  15. 15
    Stormy Monday
    The Allman Brothers Band · solo by Duane Allman & Dickey Betts · 1971
  16. 16
    Tin Pan Alley
    Stevie Ray Vaughan and Double Trouble · solo by Stevie Ray Vaughan · 1984

Quick answers

What is the easiest blues solo to learn?

Boom Boom and Smokestack Lightning are riff-based and slow. The Thrill Is Gone is the usual first real solo, because B.B. King plays few notes and puts everything into bends and vibrato.

What scale are easy blues solos in?

Almost all of them use the minor pentatonic or blues scale over a 12-bar progression. Learn one box shape and you can play most of the first half of this list.

When am I ready for slow blues like Red House?

Once you can bend accurately to pitch and hold a steady vibrato. Slow blues leaves every note exposed, which is why Red House, Stormy Monday and Tin Pan Alley come last.