Hey there! Today we’re learning how to play “Blue on Black” by Kenny Wayne Shepherd on guitar. It’s an awesome tune, and Kenny wrote it when he was just a young fella, showcasing his amazing guitar skills. If you haven’t heard of him, definitely check him out!

Blue on Black Guitar Chords

The chords used in “Blue on Black” are D, C, G, and A:

The Main Riff

The song’s chord progression goes from D to C. Now, there are some cool tricks you can do to make it sound more interesting. For example, with the D chord, you can do a hammer-off on the third string, which creates a Dsus4. Then, just move to the A chord.

For the C chord, you can do a little run up. Another way to approach it is to keep your third finger down from the D chord and play a C arpeggio. After that, hit the G chord and drop your pinky down to create a Gsus4.

That sweet riff is the backbone of the verses. Play it four times, then move on to the chorus, which follows a D-C-G-A progression. Just strum it a little more and you’re good to go!

Now that you know the chords and riffs, it’s up to you to listen to the song and figure out the arrangement. It’s a fun and easy task, I promise! Have a great time playing “Blue on Black,” and remember to give props to Kenny Wayne Shepherd for this cool tune.

Blue on Black Guitar Solo

Blue on Black is a really cool tune to solo over, but we’ve addressed that issue in a separate lesson. Start with your D pentatonic minor scale though – make sure you’re not in diatonic minor for this one, because it’s gonna clash!

When you’re ready, here’s the lesson on learning how to play the Blue on Black Guitar Solo.

If you enjoyed this lesson, you might also like Wonderful Tonight or Simple Man — both great tunes at a similar level. Browse more in my easy guitar songs collection, or check out the full guitar song library for more classics.