12 Epic (Major) Blues Guitar Chords Every Guitarist Should Know

If you want to learn to play rhythm and lead guitar like the greatest old-school blues masters… then you’re going to need to know some epic blues guitar chords. 

Why chords?

Because chords are the foundation. You can use them to play rhythm but also to unlock leads. You see, there are countless iconic blues solos that use chords in them. And when you understand the connection between chords and lead -- like what I teach in my program Essential CAGED Guitar System. LEAD and RHYTHM guitar up and down the neck get a lot easier.

So grab your 6-stringer and let’s dive into this lesson on 12 epic (major) blues guitar chords every guitarist should know.

The first few examples focus on chords played in the open position. Later we’ll cover some moveable shapes as well. So let’s get started with…

1. Open E7

Blues in the key of E is awesome on guitar. From Jimi Hendrix to Eric Clapton, the old-school blues masters loved playing in this key. This blues chord uses all 6 strings. It looks like a common open position E chord, but has the note D added on the 2nd string 3rd fret like this: 

2. Open A7

This mighty A7 has been played by everyone from Stevie Ray Vaughan to Eric Clapton, to even Mississippi John Hurt. There’s just something about this A7 chord when you do a small bar with the index finger. It also opens up the option to grab higher notes, and create what I call a “long A” as well which the Beatles and many classic rock bands used too.

3. Open D7

From Blind Blake to Scrapper Blackwell, this D7 is at the heart of folk blues guitar. It’s played from the 4th string down – like a typical open D major chord, but one note is changed.

(TIP: often many times blues players wrap their fretting hand thumb over the top of the neck. Additionally, you can add the 2nd fret on the 6th string for a great D7/F#.)

4. Open G7

Many times the previous D7 chord will lead to a G7 played in open position like this:

This chord has a very folk sound to it, and it’s often used in a cadence in the key of C. For example a chord progression like this:

| D7 | G7 | C | 

Two great songs you can hear this in are: “Nobody Knows You When You’re Down And Out” as recorded by Eric Clapton, and “Southern Rag” by Blind Blake.

5. Open B7

If you’re playing a blues in E, this is a great V chord. This B7 can be a bit of a bugaboo for many guitarists at first. However, if you stick it out, it’s a very worthwhile chord shape to have in your arsenal. Jimmy Reed, Robert Johnson, and Stevie Ray Vaughan all used this chord constantly. It’s a great one to “walk-up” to (see the video above for a demonstration.) Also, sometimes Stevie Ray Vaughan would just play a 3-note version using the 5th, 4th, and 3rd strings only.

6. T-Bone Walker Dominant 9th

Here’s a killer blues guitar chord. This one is one of my all-time favorites. I first learned it from T-Bone Walker. But Kenny Burrell, the Allman Brothers, Freddie King, and countless other blues legends all used this shape a lot. It can be played using the middle strings only (as an easier version). However, if you learn the pinkie bar on the 1st and 2nd strings, you’ll unlock an amazing blues sound:

7. The Mighty Major 6th

Here’s an often-overlooked blues guitar chord, but it’s vital to getting a true blues sound. If you study 1,000s of blues songs, you’ll discover the major 6th sound time and time again. This chord uses the root, third, fifth, and sixth from the major scale. It’s also commonly used as a fundamental for blues bass lines. If you listen to B.B. King, T-Bone Walker, or even The Beatles you’ll run into this sound:

8. Moveable Dominant 7th (Old-Faithful)

This moveable dominant 7th is like old-faithful. It’s one of the most common blues guitar chords of all time. And because it’s a bar chord you can shift it around the entire fretboard and turn it into any dominant 7th chord you like. This is essential for being able to play blues in any key.

If you struggled to understand chords on the neck and navigate the fretboard for rhythm and lead then get your hands on my free fretboard guide PDF right here:

9. Moveable Dominant 7th (root on the 5th string)

Here’s another moveable dominant 7th but this time the root is on the 5th string. It’s sort of an old-faithful part 2. This chord can also be shifted up and down the fretboard. It’s also a great companion to the previous chord if you’re playing a simple blues using the I, IV, and V chords common to millions of songs.

10. Simple C Dominant 7th

If you look closely at this chord it resembles a very common open position C chord but with one little change. All that’s changed is you add your pinkie on the 3rd fret of the 3rd string. This takes the chord from C major to C dominant 7. The notes in a C major chord are: 

C, E, G 

The notes in a C dominant 7th chord are:

C, E, G, Bb 

This additional note gets you a bluesy sound, and if you play just the middle strings – muting strings 6 and 1. You can move this shape all over the fretboard. It’s very useful and sounds extremely bluesy.

11. T-Bone Walker’s Dominant 9th (root on 5th string)

I once heard an interview with B.B. King and he said he learned this chord from T-Bone Walker. It’s similar to the first dominant 9th chord we covered above but this shape has a root note in the bass. It’s been played by B.B. King, Eric Clapton, Stevie Ray Vaughan and more:

12. Dominant 13th

This is an extended variation of the previous chord shape. Here we’ll add the fretting hand pinkie to the chord and get a lush sound. This note can also be used to embellish the chord and get you a more sophisticated sound.

Conclusion:

There you have it — 12 epic (major) blues guitar chords every guitarist should know.

If you’d like to get all these chords in one place and download the special bonus PDF I’ve created for this lesson you can get your hands on that right here:

Jon MacLennan