How to Play Deep River Blues on Guitar

Today I want to share with you a guitar lesson on how to play “Deep River Blues”. This song goes back far into the roots of blues music. But it is a timeless classic that audiences have loved for generations. My goal is to peel back the layers on this song and show you how to play this classic blues all by yourself.

I will be taking a fingerstyle approach for this guitar lesson. Following in the footsteps of Doc Watson, Merle Travis, Chet Atkins, and Tommy Emmanuel. 

So make sure you’re tuned up and let’s get started!

Who Wrote Deep River Blues?

"Deep River Blues" is a classic traditional blues song that has been covered by a number of great artists over the years. It is a spinoff and essentially the same song as "Big River Blues". It is a traditional blues song that has been recorded and performed by various artists over the years. The origins of the song are unclear, as it has been passed down through oral tradition and adapted by many different musicians.

Here is one of the early recordings of it done by the Delmore Brothers from 1933:

What key is Deep River Blues in? 

“Deep River Blues” is most commonly played in the key of E on guitar. But keep in mind depending upon the version the key can change. For example, Doc Watson would sometimes play it with a capo on the first fret which would make it in the key of F. But he would still play the same E chord grips just using the capo this would bump the key up higher. Tommy Emmanuel’s version is typically played with a capo on the 2nd fret, which would make the key F#.  

The reason for the changing of keys is often to find the best key for the singer. You want to find a key that fits their vocal range and makes them sound the best.

If I am playing this song instrumentally. I will often just go back to the home key of E. This means I don’t need a capo and saves the hassle.

Deep River Blues Chords

To play this amazing blues song there are 4 core chord shapes E7, Edim7, A7, and B7. But I want to show you 5 shapes that you will need to later be able to alternate the bass and play the melody as well.

The first is E7 up at the fifth position like this:

Then I pull each finger back (except for the index finger) and get an Edim7 like this:

Next is the IV chord. For this one, I go down to the open position and bar with my index finger, and use my ring finger to get the 3rd fret on the 1st string like this:

Open position E is next. This is a variation on the E7 and will function in the song as a I chord. Here’s how I would play that:

And finally, we have the V chord or B7 which I play from the 5th string down like this:

If we look at each chord as Roman numerals in the key of E. We essentially have the I, IV, and V chords. These are the 3 most common chords in a blues progression. But there is one little twist on the I chord. Do you see it?

E7 = I7 chord

Edim7 = idim7 chord

A7 = IV7 chord

B7 = V7 chord

The Edim7 is the second chord in the song and it gets a really bluesy sound. This diminished one-chord is more common in music before the 40s (not so much in newer blues songs). 

Now that you have these chord shapes. Let’s next plug them into the progression for the song. This progression is an 8-bar blues. The first 2 bars begin with 2 chords per bar like this:

E7, Edim7 (1 bar)

E7, A7 (1 bar)

After that, we’ll play 1 bar of E in open position and then follow that up with 1 bar of B7.

E (1 bar)

B7 (1 bar)

This gets us halfway through the progression. 

Ok. Are you ready to learn the last half? You are. Good. 

Onward.

It starts exactly the same as the first half. So let’s repeat that again.

E7, Edim7 (1 bar)

E7, A7 (1 bar)

Then we have the final little turnaround that has 2 chords per bar in bar 7 like this:

E7, B7 (1 bar)

And then bar 8 is E. So all together here is the progression:

E7, Edim7 (1 bar)

E7, A7 (1 bar)

E (1 bar)

B7 (1 bar)

E7, Edim7 (1 bar)

E7, A7 (1 bar)

E7, B7 (1 bar)

E (1 bar)

Is Deep River Blues hard to play?

The basic progression to “Deep River Blues” is relatively easy. But to alternate the bass and play the melody at the same time. It is going to take a bit of training.

The best way that I would recommend to start learning this is by beginning with the thumb pattern. And then from there adding in the melody and working it out bar-by-bar.

Let’s take a look at the thumb pattern next.

There are two patterns you’ll want to become familiar with. Pattern #1 I call the 6-4-6-4 pattern. These numbers are the string numbers that the fingerpicking hand thumb will play. So for example, fret the E7 chord and then play the string 6-4-6-4 (with an eighth-note rhythm) like this:

Now, when you play the 4 (of the 6-4-6-4 pattern) sometimes you can lean into the rhythm a bit and you might get a few extra strings. This turns the backbeat into a bit of a strum. This is fine. And is more in the Merle Travis style of picking where the thumb part sounded almost like stride piano. 

From there switch to the Edim7 chord and continue the same pattern like this:

Then go back up to the E7 chord for 2 beats. After this, we are going to switch to pattern #2 in the fingerpicking hand. 

This new pattern I call 5-4-6-4. This fresh groove alternates the bass between the 5th string, 4th string, 6th string, and 4th string. We’ll play this pattern for any chord that has a root on the 5th string. So for example, the A7 chord would go like this:

Then there are just 2 more chords to cover with these same two patterns. E and B7.

Since E has a root on the 6th string we will use the 6-4-6-4 pattern like this:

And finally, we have the V chord B7. Since this chord has a root on the 5th string, can you guess which pattern we should use?

Well if you guessed 5-4-6-4 then you’re right! 

But there is one slight change we are going to make to the B7 chord. Here we will bring our middle finger (of the fretting hand) up one string to alternate the bass between the notes B and F# like this:

How do you play Deep River Blues by Doc Watson? 

Doc Watson played some amazing guitar licks on his version of this classic blues song. There are 2 specific things I would like to point out that you can use in your own style. The first one is the use of walking bass lines.

For example, in bar 7 of this blues Doc would often play a walk-up bass line from the E chord to the B7 chord like this:

The second point I want to make is how he would use the blues scale to play licks and fills in between the vocal phrases. To do this, you will want to become familiar with the open position E minor blues scale. Here are the strings and frets to follow for this scale:

6th string = 0, 3

5th string = 0, 1, 2

4th string = 0, 2

3rd string = 0, 2, 3

2nd string = 0, 3

1st string = 0, 3

Here is an example of a Doc-style blues lick you could play in the last bar of “Deep River Blues”:

Conclusion:

"Deep River Blues" is a timeless traditional blues song that has captured the hearts of listeners and musicians alike. Although its exact origins remain uncertain, the song's enduring popularity is a testament to its mass-appeal and captivating melody. 

Doc Watson's version stands as a remarkable interpretation. Be sure to take it slow and work it out bar-by-bar and then when you’re ready try to jam it along with the recording. Happy Playing! And for more great blues guitar lessons check out this blog on the 101 best blues songs to learn on guitar next!