# 16 Easy Blues Guitar Solos to Learn

> 16 Easy Blues Guitar Solos to Learn: #1 is Boom Boom by John Lee Hooker, then Smokestack Lightning and Waitin' for the Bus. Every video starts at the solo.

Canonical URL: <https://greatestsolos.com/list/easy-blues-solos/>

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. [Boom Boom](https://greatestsolos.com/song/john-lee-hooker-boom-boom/) — John Lee Hooker · solo by John Lee Hooker · 1962
2. [Smokestack Lightning](https://greatestsolos.com/song/howlin-wolf-smokestack-lightning/) — Howlin' Wolf · solo by Hubert Sumlin & Willie Johnson · 1956
3. [Waitin' for the Bus](https://greatestsolos.com/song/zz-top-waitin-for-the-bus/) — ZZ Top · solo by Billy Gibbons · 1973
4. [Strange Brew](https://greatestsolos.com/song/cream-strange-brew/) — Cream · solo by Eric Clapton · 1967
5. [The Thrill Is Gone](https://greatestsolos.com/song/b-b-king-the-thrill-is-gone/) — B.B. King · solo by B.B. King · 1969
6. [Rock Me Baby](https://greatestsolos.com/song/b-b-king-rock-me-baby/) — B.B. King · solo by B.B. King · 1964
7. [Born Under a Bad Sign](https://greatestsolos.com/song/albert-king-born-under-a-bad-sign/) — Albert King · solo by Albert King · 1967
8. [I'm Tore Down](https://greatestsolos.com/song/freddie-king-i-m-tore-down/) — Freddie King · solo by Freddie King · 1961
9. [Mary Had a Little Lamb](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-mary-had-a-little-lamb/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1968
10. [Damn Right, I've Got the Blues](https://greatestsolos.com/song/buddy-guy-damn-right-i-ve-got-the-blues/) — Buddy Guy · solo by Buddy Guy · 1991
11. [Hide Away](https://greatestsolos.com/song/freddie-king-hide-away/) — Freddie King · solo by Freddie King · 1961
12. [Sweet Little Angel](https://greatestsolos.com/song/b-b-king-sweet-little-angel/) — B.B. King · solo by B.B. King · 1965
13. [Pride and Joy](https://greatestsolos.com/song/stevie-ray-vaughan-pride-and-joy/) — Stevie Ray Vaughan · solo by Stevie Ray Vaughan · 1983
14. [Red House](https://greatestsolos.com/song/the-jimi-hendrix-experience-red-house/) — The Jimi Hendrix Experience · solo by Jimi Hendrix · 1967
15. [Stormy Monday](https://greatestsolos.com/song/the-allman-brothers-band-stormy-monday/) — The Allman Brothers Band · solo by Duane Allman & Dickey Betts · 1971
16. [Tin Pan Alley](https://greatestsolos.com/song/stevie-ray-vaughan-and-double-trouble-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.

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