How to Play Milk Cow Blues on Guitar

Learn how to play Milk Cow Blues on guitar with this easy to follow guitar lesson. You’ll be playing this classic blues song in no time!

Open position blues chords

E major

E major is the most common blues chord. To play an E major, put your first (left hand) finger on the second fret of the fifth string. Strum all six strings.

Next, add your second (left hand) finger to the third fret of the fourth string and strum all six strings again.

Finally, place your third (left hand) finger on the second fret of the third string and strum all six strings one last time.

A major

A major is the first scale degree in the major scale. The triad built on this degree is called the tonic triad. In C major, this would be C-E-G, and it functions as the “home” chord in that it resolves to itself more often than any other chord. The tonic chord also serves as the starting point for many other scales and modes

B7

B7 is a dominant seventh chord, that is, a major triad (1 3 5) with an added ♭7. The added ♭7 gives the chord a bluesy sound.

In popular music, the B7 chord is often used to create a bluesy feel. It can be used as the tonic (i.e., root) chord in a 12-bar blues progression in the key of E, or as a secondary dominant (i.e., V/V) chord in other keys.

The B7 chord can be played in a number of ways on the guitar. The following examples show some of the most common fingerings.

B7 chords are typically played with a bass note on the low E string and the root note on the A string. For example, in the key of E, the B7 chord would be played with an E on the low E string and a B on the A string.

The 12 bar blues

The 12 bar blues is a very popular chord progression in many genres of music. In this lesson, we’ll be learning how to play the 12 bar blues in the key of A on guitar. We’ll be using a basic rockabilly rhythm, and our goal is to get you comfortable with the chord progression so that you can apply it to your own playing.

The basic progression

The 12 bar blues is one of the most popular chord progressions in popular music. The blues progression has a distinctive form in lyrics, phrase, chord structure, and duration. In its basic form, it is predominantly based on the I, IV, and V chords of a key. The 12 bar blues is a very commonly used chord progression especially in jazz and rock & roll music. The following section will provide you with information on how to play the 12 bar blues on guitar.

The Basic Progression
Most 12 bar blues progressions are based on the I, IV, and V chords of a key. In the key of C, these chords would be C major (I), F major (IV), and G major (V). The typical length of a 12 bar blues progression is 24 measures or two full standard measures of time.

There are many variations of the 12 bar blues chord progression. However, the most common progression is as follows:
I – I – I – I – IV – IV – I – I – V – IV – I – V
This particular progression uses only three different chords throughout the entire duration of the song. These chords are typically played in an instrument’s lower register to create a “bluesy” sound.

The turnaround

In music, a turnaround is a passage at the end of a section which leads to the beginning of the next section. A turnaround can be as simple as a single chord, or a more complicated melody or progression. The turnaround usually happens at the end of each chorus in a 12 bar blues song, and is used to lead back into the verse.

In the example below, we’ll look at how to play a basic turnaround in the key of E using the chords E, A, and B. This turnaround can be used at the end of any 12 bar blues in the key of E.

To begin, we’ll start on the V chord (A) on beat four of bar 12. We’ll then play the IV chord (E) on beat one of bar 13. Finally, we’ll play the I chord (E) on beat four of bar 13. This will lead us back into the verse at bar 14.

Here’s how it sounds:

Playing the Milk Cow Blues

The Milk Cow Blues is a popular guitar riff that has been used by many famous blues artists. In this lesson, we’ll learn how to play the Milk Cow Blues on guitar. We’ll start by learning the basic chords, then we’ll add in the riff.

Verse

E|—————————————-
B|—————————————-
G|—————————————-
D|-2-2-4-4——————————-
A|————-5————————-
E|——————3-3—1—————

Chorus

There’s a milk cow lowing,
lowin’ for her calf,
and every time she lows,
I feel the blues creeping over me.
I’m just a milk cow,
lowin’, lowin’ for my calf.
And every time I low,
I feel the blues creeping over me.

Outro

Now that you know how to play the Milk Cow Blues on guitar, you can try adding your own personal touches to the song. You might want to experiment with different techniques or try playing the verses in a different order. Be creative and have fun!