Hey Joe

How to play Hey Joe by Jimi Hendrix on guitar

Hey Joe is a great beginner song because it sits in a steady, laid-back groove and lets you focus on clean changes instead of speed. You get a classic rock feel right away, and the repeating movement makes it satisfying to lock in as you play.

All of the shapes are open, so you can keep your fretting hand relaxed and avoid barre chords entirely. The main change to watch is the opening move from E to C, then to G and D, since that sequence can feel less natural than a simple back-and-forth pattern.

Start by practicing each chord shape one at a time, then loop E - C - G - D slowly until the switches feel smooth. After that, connect the full progression without stopping, and only then bring it up to the song's tempo. Keep your strums even and aim for clean chord rings first.

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.