Easy Waymore's Blues Chords And Guitar Lesson

If you’d like to jam a simple song that captures the gritty and bluesy side of the “Outlaw Country” sound… then this post can show you how.

It’s perfect for newer players. Or those that don’t like to have to memorize a million chord changes, or play tough bar chords.

This song is dirt simple. But it’s a lot of fun.

So, grab your guitar, and let’s dive into this “Waymore’s Blues” chords and guitar lesson!

Who Wrote Waymore’s Blues?

“Waymore's Blues" was co-written by Waylon Jennings and Curtis Buck. It was first recorded and released by Waylon Jennings in 1974 as part of his Dreaming My Dreams album. The song is a mix of country, blues, and outlaw music, reflecting Jennings' signature "Outlaw Country" sound—a genre he helped pioneer alongside other country rebels like Willie Nelson and Johnny Cash. 

The lyrics reflect a man on the move, likely symbolizing Waylon himself and his rebellious, free-wheeling spirit. It touches on themes of travel, love, and being a wanderer—hinting at the life of a man who refuses to settle down and live by conventional rules. The name "Waymore" is a reference to Waylon Jennings' own nickname. The song is known for its bluesy, gritty style, which stands out in Jennings' discography.

By the early 1970s, Jennings was tired of the polished and highly-produced "Nashville sound" that dominated the industry. "Waymore's Blues" was recorded during a period when Jennings was breaking away from this style, both artistically and personally. 

The track was recorded in 1974 at Glaser Sound Studios in Nashville, Tennessee. Dreaming My Dreams became a critical and commercial success, reaching No. 1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart. While "Waymore’s Blues" was never released as a single, it became a fan favorite and a staple of Jennings' live performances. Over time, it has become one of his signature songs and a defining track of the outlaw country movement.

Now, if you’re trying to play this iconic song on guitar you may be wondering…

What is the tuning for Waymore’s Blues?

The tuning for "Waymore’s Blues" as recorded by Waylon Jennings is standard tuning. 

He kept things simple. 

Here are the strings in standard tuning:

• E (6th string, lowest pitch)
• A (5th string)
• D (4th string)
• G (3rd string)
• B (2nd string)
• E (1st string, highest pitch)

Let’s next take a look at the…

Waymore Blues Chords

To play “Waymore’s Blues” on guitar you only need to know 2 chords D and G7. Both of these chords can be played as open position “cowboy” chords. Let’s take a look.

For D, I play it from the 4th string down like this:

G7 can be played using all 6 strings like this:

If you’ve struggled to be able to quickly recognize the notes and chords in all your favorite songs, so you can play them without TABS, sheet music, or even needing to watch a lesson, grab my free ear training cheat sheet right here now:

Now that you know the “Waymore’s Blues” chords let’s talk about…

What key is Waymore's blues in?

“Waymore’s Blues” as recorded by Waylon Jennings is in the key of D major. The song uses just two chords D and G7. The G7 is technically not in the key of D major. This is because of the minor seventh interval within the chord. The notes of a G7 chord are G, B, D, and F. The F would be an F# in the D major scale. However, all this is doing is making the G chord sound slightly more bluesy. It’s borrowing from the blues genre, which often has many dominant seventh chords in one key. 

The blues does not jive with traditional western music theory. Normally you can only have one dominant seventh chord in a key and that is the V chord. So, in the key of D major this would be an A7 chord. But here we have the bluesy IV7 chord. 

Here’s how these chords relate and function in the key:

D Major:

The chord D major is the tonic (I) chord in the key of D major, meaning it’s built from the first scale degree of the D major scale:

D - E - F# - G - A - B - C# 

The D major triad consists of the notes: D (root) - F# (major 3rd) - A (perfect 5th)

G7 in the Key of D Major:

In D major, the chord based on G would typically be G major (IV) because it's built on the fourth scale degree (G) of the D major scale. The notes of G major are:

G (root) - B (major 3rd) - D (perfect 5th)

However, a G7 chord (G dominant 7th) adds an F natural (a minor 7th interval from G), making the notes: G (root) - B (major 3rd) - D (perfect 5th) - F (minor 7th)

The twist is the F natural is not in the key of D major because D major has an F#. This means the G7 chord introduces a chromatic note (F natural), which creates tension and a bluesy sound. 

Now that you understand the key and chords, let’s talk about the…

Waymore’s Blues Strumming Pattern

The main underlying groove for "Waymore’s Blues'" is an 8th-note feel. Strumming 8th notes means dividing each beat of a 4/4 time signature into two equal parts.

To properly strum 8th notes, you need to understand how to count them within each measure. In a 4/4 time signature, each measure has four beats. When subdividing each beat into 8th notes, each beat is divided into two equal parts, giving us a total of eight 8th notes per measure.

To count 8th notes, you typically use the following syllables:

1 & 2 & 3 & 4 &

Here’s the breakdown: 

1: The first 8th note (on the beat)

&: The second 8th note (off the beat)

When counting out loud, it sounds like:

"One and, Two and, Three and, Four and" 

While this is the “feel” for the song, you might not want to strum all the 8th notes all the time. Instead, you could try mixing in a few quarter notes with the 8th notes to let it breathe and open up. Here’s an example of playing in this style:

Next, let’s talk about the…

Waymore’s Blues Chord Progression

The chord progression for “Waymore’s Blues” is very simple. It starts off with 9 bars of a D major chord.

D (9 bars)

But heads up! The last bar of D is a 2/4 bar. The song is in 4/4 time, but this one bar is cut short and only has 2 beats. If you’re not careful, it’s easy to get off count. So watch out for this rhythm. From there, it goes to 4 bars of G7 and 4 bars back to D. 

G7 (4 bars)

D (4 bars)

That is the main form of the song. However, there are times when Waylon just stays on D and vamps. But the form always goes back to the top when either the melody comes in or someone solos.

Conclusion

Easy peasy lemon squeezy – there’s a straightforward guide to playing “Waymore’s Blues” and capturing that signature Outlaw Country guitar style. With just two chords, D and G7, and a simple strumming pattern, this song is not only accessible for newer players but also a great way to dive into the gritty and rebellious vibes of Waylon Jennings’ music. 

Keep practicing, and if you’d like to be able to quickly recognize the notes and chords in all your favorite songs, so you can play them without TABS, sheet music, or even needing to watch a lesson, grab my free ear training cheat sheet right here now:

Jon MacLennan