Today I want to share with you a soulful and heart-wrenching song from the king of the blues B.B. King.

It’s a minor blues progression and only uses 3 chords.

You’ll discover how to play those chords, a fun fingerstyle groove, and even how to solo over the progression like B.B. King.

So grab your guitar and let’s get started!

Who wrote Chains And Things?

"Chains And Things" was written by B.B. King and Dave Clark and appeared on the 1970 album Indianola Mississippi Seeds. The song was produced by Bill Szymczyk and featured notable contributions by Carole King on piano, Bryan Garofalo on bass guitar, and Russ Kunkel on drums. 

It peaked at No. 45 on the Billboard Hot 100 and No. 6 on the R&B chart, earning praise for its haunting piano riff and dramatic string arrangement. 

The lyrics have a bluesy melancholy vibe to them. Singing of despair, longing, and hope, with B.B. King's emotional vocals and guitar solo capturing the essence of the song. 

BB King Chains And Things Chor...

Ever wanted to just sit out on the back porch or on your sofa and play some Delta blues?

Well, today I’m going to share with you exactly how anyone can start with this Delta blues guitar lesson in the style of the great Robert Johnson.

For this lesson, I won’t be using a pick. I’ll be playing fingerstyle (no pick).

So grab your guitar and let’s get started!

Delta Blues Chords

The first thing we’ll cover is these classic blues chords you’ll need to know. This blues is in the key of A major. Now a blues in the key of A would typically revolve around just 3 chords A7, D7, and E7. This would be the I, IV, and V, in the key of A. 

We’ll use all 3 of those chords. Plus we’ll make a few classic Robert Johnson style adjustments to them to tap into that iconic Delta blues sound.

Let’s take a look at a few of those moves. The first chord is an A7 played in 7th position like this:

This chord looks like a common open position D7 chord just shifted up higher on the neck. It’s not a cho...

A little while ago I learned a new word:

“Floccinaucinihilipilification.”

It’s basically, the act or habit of estimating something as worthless. 

I’ve noticed a lot of intermediate guitar players often view simple blues progressions as being this.

They scoff, “ah huh huh, 3 chords?...simple shuffle?…” 

Then dismiss it.

Well, don’t fall for this floccinaucinihilipilification trap.

Mastering the blues is essential to becoming a REAL player.

I’ve learned this from being around legends like Kenny Burrell and some of the greatest LA studio guitar players.

That’s why I don’t stop practicing simple blues progressions

In the quest to become a blues guitar master, there are many tunes we have to learn.  

Today I’d like to share with you a fun song that is a must-know blues guitar classic. 

It’s perfect for jamming with friends or with a looper pedal at home.  

It was originally recorded by Freddie King, but in this post, we’ll talk about Freddie’s version and also Eric Clapton’s...

I grew up with 3 wild brothers…

I’m the middle one.

And when I was in my first band. My older brother would come out to all our shows in Hollywood. It was a routine.

And he would always bring dates he was trying to schmooze and impress. I’d see him in the audience from the stage.

He’d point at me and say to his date, “That’s my brother”...as he’d try to get them out on the dance floor…

It was hilarious. But this brings me to today’s song.

...because before every show…

My brother would ask me…

“Are you going to play “x” song tonight?”

He always wanted to know…

Today I want to share with you that song...

It's one every party band guitar player should know.

It’s full of nostalgia. Making many listeners think about innocent crushes, summer days, and simpler times. 

You only need 4 chords to play it. And, the majority of the song just repeats one progression over and over. (So it’s perfect for beginners as well).

I’m going to break it all down for you step-by-step in this “...

Fingerpicking the blues is a ton of fun!

Now, I love Chet Atkins and the boom-chick style that he played.

And this style has been carried on by players like Tommy Emmanuel and many others…

But what a lot of people don’t know about, is how the blues players played differently than this classic Chet style.

Sure, they didn’t use a flatpick and had alternating bass movements etc. 

But there is much more to getting the sound. 

And it’s quite different from any other style of fingerpicking. 

Today I want to share with you some of these differences. 

And also break down how to play like Mississippi John Hurt using my 2-step method.

So put away those picks for today and let’s get started with this fingerstyle blues guitar lesson!

Fingerstyle Blues Guitar Lesson Step 1:

Let’s begin with learning the chord progression and alternating bass line. There are only 3 chords we’ll use in this song D, G, and A. We’ll play them in open position.

D major we’ll play from the 5th string down ...

What if you had a chord named after YOU?

Picture this…

It’s 50 years from now…

And a bunch of guitarists are all sitting around talking about music.

Suddenly one of them says, “Oh that chord. Yeah, that’s the [YOUR LAST NAME] chord.”

That would be pretty cool.

I mean, how many guitarists have accomplished this?

To be honest, I can only think of one.

Jimi Hendrix!

In fact, here’s a crazy story about the first time I ever learned about the “Hendrix chord." 

Decades ago when my parents got our first computer, I discovered this thing called TAB sites.

Now I’d already been playing guitar for a bit, but this was an amazing thing. 

You see, I figured out (from a TAB at the time) the opening riff to “Purple Haze”.

I was about 12 years old, but I never connected it to the “Jimi Hendrix chord.” 

But I couldn’t stop playing the riff…

I LOVED it!

I remember playing it and thinking, “Wow! What a sound!”

Anyway, a few years later my parents let me take a music theory class at the...

If you want to become great at playing popular music on guitar from the past 120 years, you’ve got to be familiar with the blues.

Now oftentimes players don’t realize a song they love is based on the blues.

They may even know how to play it but still do not realize they are playing the blues.  

Today is a great example of this.

In this “Change the World” guitar lesson you’ll see how the blues can be brought straight into popular music.

So grab your guitar, tune-up, and let’s get started!

Who wrote Change the World?

"Change the World" is a song co-written by Tommy Sims, Gordon Kennedy, and Wayne Kirkpatrick. It was recorded by Eric Clapton for the soundtrack of the 1996 film "Phenomenon." 

The song was produced by Babyface and the recording took place at Ocean Way Recording in Hollywood, California. It features Clapton on vocals and guitar, along with a notable lineup of musicians, including Nathan East on bass, Steve Gadd on drums, and Dean Parks on acoustic guitar.

The ...

Gary Moore was a phenomenal musician. 

Today I want to share with you one of his AMAZING blues guitar songs.

It’s slow…

It’s groovy…

And it gives me goosebumps every time I hear it!

This is the kind of song you can easily picture being played in a smoky dark club well after midnight.  

It’s a minor blues, and the rhythm part mixes a riff and some sweet chords together. 

And then of course, Gary plays brilliant slow blues licks over the top of this progression which reminds me a lot of songs like “Thrill is Gone” and many other classic blues tunes. 

So grab your guitar and let’s dive into this “Midnight Blues” guitar lesson.

Who wrote Midnight Blues?

"Midnight Blues" is a blues rock song written and performed by Northern Irish guitarist Gary Moore. The song was released in 1990 on Moore's album Still Got the Blues. 

It is one of Moore's most popular songs and has been covered by many other artists, including Joe Bonamassa, Beth Hart, and Kenny Wayne Shepherd.

Moore rec...

One of the core techniques every guitarist should have a handle on is arpeggio picking. 

The basic idea of arpeggio picking is you take notes of a chord. But instead of strumming them. You pick them individually.

This one technique has been the seed of many legendary guitar riffs. And today, I would like to share with you an example of this in this Rebel Rebel guitar lesson. 

So grab your guitar, and let’s get started!

Who wrote Rebel Rebel?

"Rebel Rebel" was written and performed by David Bowie. It was first released as a single in 1974 and then later included on his album "Diamond Dogs." The song has a catchy guitar riff and it’s known for its rebellious lyrics. 

Bowie recorded it in January 1974 at Olympic Studios in London.

"Rebel Rebel" is considered one of Bowie's signature songs and a glam rock anthem. 

The song features Bowie's distinctive vocals and Mick Ronson's memorable guitar work. 

It reached No. 5 on the UK Singles Chart. 

Despite not originally achieving si...

A fan on Reddit said this about today's song:

"Those opening lines, 'There are places I'll remember/All my life, though some have changed' - they just take you right back to your childhood." 

I would agree with that.

I’ve played this song at:

Weddings…

Anniversaries…

Private events… 

I’ve played it all over. And it always seems to hit an emotional note with the crowd. 

Today I want to break it down for you step-by-step. We’ll look at the signature guitar parts, the chords and progressions, and even an unexpected twist at the end. 

I’ll dive deep into how George Martin recorded and played the piano solo in this In My Life guitar lesson.

Who wrote In My Life?

The iconic song "In My Life" is credited to the legendary songwriting duo Lennon-McCartney. But its origins are a bit murkier than that.  

While John Lennon wrote the lyrics and is considered the primary author, there's been debate about the extent of Paul McCartney's contribution to the melody. 

Regardless, the song...