Blues Guitar Riff on 3rds

Some of the best blues guitar riffs don’t come from complicated technique — they come from the same two-note shape, repeated in slightly different ways. This lesson is built around exactly that idea. Jonathan teaches a blues guitar riff on thirds in the key of E, and it’s the same pattern SRV used in “Pride and Joy” and “Mary Had a Little Lamb.” Once you hear it, you’ll recognize it everywhere.

The video above covers the whole riff in about 8 minutes. It’s in open E position, which means a lot of those lower strings are ringing open and giving the riff that big, full sound. Jonathan shows two ways to play it: strumming both strings of the third together for a thick, punchy tone, or picking them separately for a more articulate, defined feel. Both work — they just create a different vibe.

The Shape Behind the Riff

The core of this riff is a minor third interval. In E, you’re working with your ring finger on the 3rd string while sliding up, and using an open second string as part of the voicing. That open E with a finger on the second string’s third fret is one of those guitar sounds that feels immediately right — it’s that classic bluesy chord quality that makes you want to lean into it.

The key teaching point here is that the arrangement of the notes matters more than the complexity of the technique. You’re not playing difficult stuff. You’re playing the same thing with subtle variations in feel, timing, and articulation. That’s what makes it musical. Anyone can learn the fingering in a few minutes; the interesting part is learning how to shape it.

If you’ve been working on blues guitar licks with chromatic approach notes, this riff is a great companion. The thirds give you a rich harmonic foundation, while chromatic licks let you add movement and tension on top.

Why Thirds Work in Any Key

Here’s what makes this riff worth really learning: you’re not just learning a lick in E. You’re learning an interval shape that works anywhere. Jonathan makes a point of saying this in the lesson — the open E voicing sounds especially good, but the minor third pattern can be moved anywhere on the neck. Learn it in E, understand what you’re doing, and suddenly you have a tool that works in any key.

The arrangement of notes is what makes something interesting, not the difficulty. That’s the whole lesson. You could spend a year hunting for harder and harder techniques, or you could take something simple and learn how to make it sound like you mean it. This riff is the second approach.

For more context on how thirds and intervals work inside a progression, pairing this with the 12 bar blues guitar lesson is a natural next step — you’ll see how riffs like this one sit inside a full progression.

Putting It Into a Jam

Once you’ve got the shape and can play it both ways (strumming and picking), take it to a slow E blues and see where it wants to go. Try starting the riff at the top of a bar, then on beat two, then as a pickup into a new section. The riff is flexible — it’s not locked to one rhythmic placement.

The good news is it sounds great from day one. Even at a slow tempo with basic execution, this riff has that authentic blues quality because the notes themselves are right. You’re not faking it. You’re playing the same thing the greats played, from the same position.

For a full library of blues lessons — rhythm patterns, scale approaches, licks at every level — head over to the blues guitar lessons hub and keep building from here.

Give the riff a few run-throughs tonight and see how it feels. It has a way of sticking around once it gets into your hands.