Hey Joe

How to play Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix on guitar

Hey Joe is a great song to learn because the groove is steady, the changes are clear, and it gives you that classic blues-rock feel without needing a fast right hand. At about 83 BPM, you can settle into it and focus on clean transitions, which makes it feel rewarding even at a beginner level.

You will use a mix of open shapes and harder barre shapes, so the main challenge is moving smoothly between them. The opening progression G# - E - F# - Bm asks you to shift from a barre shape into an open shape, then back into barre shapes, so watch that first change closely and keep your fretting hand relaxed.

Start by learning each chord shape on its own, then loop G# - E - F# - Bm very slowly until the moves feel automatic. After that, practice the progression in time with a simple, even strum, and only speed up when every change sounds clean.

Use the play-along above to follow each chord change in time with the music, or learn the shapes first with the chord diagrams below.