Learn to Play Hoochie Coochie Man on Guitar Like a Pro

If you're a guitarist looking to level up your Chicago blues guitar skills, going through this “Hoochie Coochie Man” guitar lesson is the perfect place to start. This post will take you through the basics of the style and share chords, riffs, and scales for learning how to jam along to this blues classic.

Who originally wrote Hoochie Coochie Man?

The original writer of “Hoochie Coochie Man” was the American blues musician, vocalist, songwriter, arranger, and record producer Willie Dixon. While Dixon was primarily known as an upright bass player, he was also a competent guitarist and is regarded as one of the most prolific blues songwriters of his time. 

In this post, I’ll be sharing with you tips about various versions. However, it's worth noting that the first recorded version of "Hoochie Coochie Man" was by Muddy Waters in 1954. Waters’ version is a prime example of how the blues started to transition from more acoustic Delta-based styles to the electric Chicago style of blues guitar.

What key is Hoochie Coochie Man played in?

“Hoochie Coochie Man” as recorded by Waters is in the key of A, while Dixon's version is slightly lower in the key of G. For this lesson, I will be in standard guitar tuning, E, A, D, G, B, E. However, a lot of early blues players including Waters did quite often play in open tunings. The song follows a classic 12-bar blues chord progression common to millions of songs. 

Hoochie Coochie Man Chords

You’ll only need to know three chords to start playing along to this classic song, A, D, and E.

You could play the A chord like this:

The D chord like this:

And the E chord like this:

These chords are going to be the I, IV, and V, chords in the key of A.

A (I chord)

D (IV chord)

E (V chord) 

Before diving into the riffs and solos, it's important to master the basic chord progression of “Hoochie Coochie Man.” Practice transitioning smoothly between these chord shapes. To start you’ll want to strum through them using a whole note rhythm. This is done by strumming each chord once and then counting to 4. Practice this first following these lengths on each chord:

• A (4 bars)
• D (2 bars)
• A (2 bars)
• E (1 bar)
• D (1 bar)
• A (1 bar)
• E (1 bar) 

What is the rhythm of Hoochie Coochie Man?

Once you feel comfortable with the chord progression and are able to spend the right amount of time on each chord to follow a 12-bar blues, it's time to spice up the rhythm by using a blues shuffle pattern.

Instead of just playing the open position A chord and strumming, let's play two notes of it at a time and create a classic blues shuffle. Here's how to do it:

For this blues shuffle rhythm, we’ll start by playing the open 5th string and the 2nd fret of the 4th string. These two notes make up an A power chord. Play 2 strums there, and then move that 2nd fret up to the 4th fret, then the 5th fret, and then back down to the 4th fret. Each fret is played as two eighths notes back to back before moving to the next fret. I’m using all down strums in the strum hand.

Tip: Try using a palm-muting technique with the strum hand for this type of blues rhythm pattern. This helps take a little bit of the ring out of the notes and will get you a great sound for Chicago-style blues guitar.

This same approach can be applied to each chord of the three chords for this song. So for example the IV chord D can be played like this:

In the video above, when I get to the V chord E I actually play an E7 to D7/F# like this:

Adding in a signature blues riff

One of the most recognizable parts of “Hoochie Coochie Man” is the signature blues riff. This blues riff was actually used in hundreds of songs. It is often used in place of the A chord or I chord and the vocal sings a call and response to this riff.

Waters plays the riff like this: 

This riff starts on C on the 3rd fret of the 5th string. Rhythmically begin on the “and” of 3, and then play a triplet right after on beat 4. Notice the slight blues bend in beat 4. Finally the riff concludes with an open A power chord. 

Buddy Guy also has an incredible version of this song on YouTube. In his version he plays the riff at the 5th position like this:

These riffs are both the same notes just played in different places on the neck. Guy’s version not having open strings is a little bit harder to play than Waters’.

Scales and Soloing

The solo section of “Hoochie Coochie Man” is a great opportunity to practice improvising over a 12-bar blues. Here the band does not play the riff anymore they just go back to a typical 12-bar blues progression. The main scale to use for soloing in this song would be the Am blues scale.

This scale can be played at the 5th fret like this:

Here are the frets to play on each string:

• 6th string frets = 5, 8
• 5th string frets = 5, 6, 7
• 4th string frets = 5, 7
• 3rd string frets = 5, 7, 8
• 2nd string frets = 5, 8
• 1st string frets = 5, (8)

These notes are going to be a great place to start experimenting with in your solos.

From there you’ll want to go to the next level and start playing blues phrases and licks with the notes of the scale. Here are a few examples demonstrated by Guy in the video above. 

Example 1 takes just a couple of notes from the A minor blues scale pattern but moves them up the octave. Here Guy also uses a whole step bend and then descends down the notes of the scale.

Example 2 shows the use of double stops and bends together. This is a powerful sound and gets a large range span in the lick making the guitar part sound huge.

Example 3 stays all on just the 2nd string again pulling notes from the A minor blues scale up the octave.

Put it all together and play with confidence.

Once you've mastered each level of “Hoochie Coochie Man” presented in this post, then it's time to put it all together and play with confidence. Start by playing through the song slowly, focusing on the rhythm and hitting each chord accurately. As you become more comfortable with that, gradually start bringing in the riffs and licks. Remember to keep your timing tight and focus on playing with feeling. With practice and dedication, you'll be playing Hoochie Coochie Man like a pro in no time! And if you enjoyed this post, check out this “Call Me The Breeze” lesson next for another great blues tune in the key of A.