My Plan for Learning Blues Repertoire Without Tension or Stress

1. I’ve set July 2026 as my completion date. At my current skill level, that gives me plenty of time.
2. I’m learning the tunes by ear. Of the 50 on my list, I’ve already learned about 30.
3. I’m focusing only on the keyboard parts.
4. I’ve scored 30 pieces because it helps me remember them—I have a strong ear and visual memory. However, at a blues jam, like in jazz, reading music is verbatim.
5. Starting this month, I’ll begin attending blues jams to explore the scene, learn who I’d like to play with, and who to avoid.
6. I practice piano separately to maintain and restore my keyboard skills. Teaching piano all day isn’t conducive to keeping professional-level chops.
7. I’m watching YouTube videos on blues organ technique to learn about drawbars, the volume pedal, and Leslie speaker effects. Blues piano and I are old friends; authentic blues organ playing, not so much.
8. I listen to a lot of blues recordings.
9. I focus on learning “feel” before virtuosity—feel wins every time.
10. I’m learning Green Onions using a combination of score and ear. So far, it’s the only piece I’m reading.
11. I’m doing this for fun.
12. I bought a portable keyboard that (1) fits in a backpack and (2) has the necessary sounds for this project.

​If I were a jazz student, I’d follow the same method—with one caveat: I’d make sure my piano skills were up to the task. If not, I’d get some lessons.
​
Cheers,
David

(BTW, I asked Chat GPT for a list of tunes to go with a list I have from a friend.) 

Here’s a practical, gig-tested list of 50 blues standards that are most commonly played by bands in blues clubs today. This is based on modern blues jam sessions, club gigs, and working-band repertoires rather than historical importance alone. I’ve grouped them so you can quickly see why they’re so common—and this should be especially useful given your background as a music teacher (great material for ensemble classes, jams, and stylistic study).

🔹 Core 12-Bar Blues Standards (Absolute Essentials)These are called constantly at jams and gigs.

1. Sweet Home Chicago – Robert Johnson
2. Stormy Monday – T-Bone Walker / Al
   
3. lmand Brothers
4. Hoochie Coochie Man – Muddy Waters
5. Got My Mojo Working – Muddy Waters
6. Boom Boom – John Lee Hooker
7. Pride and Joy – Stevie Ray Vaughan
8. Crossroads – Robert Johnson / Cream /Eric Clapton
9. Messin’ with the Kid – Junior Wells
10. I’m Tore Down – Freddie King
11. Everyday I Have the Blues – B.B. King

🔹 Shuffle & Swing Blues (Very Common Club Tempos)Great for teaching groove, feel, and swing articulation.

1. The Thrill Is Gone – B.B. King
2. Further On Up the Road – Bobby “Blue” Bland
3. Key to the Highway – Big Bill Broonzy
4. Caldonia – Louis Jordan
5. Let the Good Times Roll – Louis Jordan / B.B. King
6. Baby Please Don’t Go – Muddy Waters
7. Shake, Rattle and Roll – Big Joe Turner
8. Kansas City – Wilbert Harrison
9. Ain’t No Sunshine (blues reharmonized) – Bill Withers
10. Route 66 – Bobby Troup

🔹 Slow Blues (Called Every Night)These are mandatory for any blues band.

1. Stormy Monday Blues – Allman Brothers version
2. Since I’ve Been Loving You – Led Zeppelin
3. I’d Rather Go Blind – Etta James
4. Red House – Jimi Hendrix
5. Tin Pan Alley – Stevie Ray Vaughan
6. It Hurts Me Too – Elmore James
7. Black Magic Woman – Fleetwood Mac
8. As the Years Go Passing By – Albert King
9. Nobody Knows You When You’re Down and Out
10. Have You Ever Loved a Woman – Freddie King

🔹 Texas / Chicago Blues Club StaplesModern blues bands love these.

1. Mary Had a Little Lamb – Stevie Ray Vaughan
2. Texas Flood – Stevie Ray Vaughan
3. Further On Up the Road – Eric Clapton version
4. Mannish Boy – Muddy Waters
5. Smokestack Lightning – Howlin’ Wolf
6. Little Red Rooster – Willie Dixon
7. I Just Want to Make Love to You – Muddy Waters
8. Killing Floor – Howlin’ Wolf
9. Goin’ Down – Freddie King
10. Born Under a Bad Sign – Albert King

🔹 Blues-Rock Crossovers (Very Common with Younger Crowds)These keep blues clubs packed.

1. The Sky Is Crying – Elmore James
2. Roadhouse Blues – The Doors
3. Tush – ZZ Top
4. La Grange – ZZ Top
5. Before You Accuse Me – Eric Clapton
6. Crosscut Saw – Albert King
7. Love Me Two Times – The Doors
8. Dust My Broom – Elmore James
9. Cocaine Blues – Rev. Gary Davis
10. Got You (Feel Good) – James Brown (blues-funk staple)