Worried Man Blues Ukulele Tutorial with Tab

by | Jan 27, 2019 | Video lessons

Firstly, let’s learn a catchy three-chord folk tune with this Worried Man Blues ukulele tutorial complete with lyrics plus chords and tabs on screen! Worried Man Blues is one of the songs in our newest book 21 Easy Ukulele Folk Songs.

WORRIED MAN BLUES UKULELE TUTORIAL

Indeed, Worried Man Blues is an easy ukulele song as you’ll need just three simple chords to play it. The chords are C, F and G7. For the string and strum version, you can do a D-DU-D-DU (D-down, U-up) pattern as shown by Jenny in the video. Also, for those that love to play melody tabs, Jenny plays the chord melody at the end of the video. So don’t miss that part.

By the way, join us on Facebook for a live lesson on Worried Man Blues ukulele tutorial. In case you’re not able to join the Facebook Live session for this song, just find the recording on the videos section.

Moreover, subscribe here to get email notifications of our new videos that get released each week. In particular, the notifications include downloadable sheet music with lyrics, chords and tabs that are very useful when learning the ukulele.

FIRST RECORDED BY THE CARTER FAMILY

One feature of most folk songs is that their composers are unknown or unrecorded. Certainly, Worried Man Blues is no different. While A.P. Carter, his wife Sara and sister-in-law Maybelle, collectively known as the Carter Family, first recorded the song in 1930, the writer of the song is not known. Accordingly, A. P. Carter used to travel throughout the United States collecting old songs and Worried Man Blues might be one of the songs he picked up from these travels.

DIFFERENT LYRICS

Cartoon of a worried man singing the blues while playing ukulele. "It takes a worried man to sing a worried song.

Another common feature with folk songs is that they have different versions of lyrics. Many other musicians have recorded Worried Man Blues after the Carter Family. Most of them sang with different lyrics. For instance, Woody Guthrie recorded the song in 1940 with lyrics that underscored the number 21. While the lyrics from the Carter Family’s recording described shackles with “29 links of chain” and a train which was “16 coaches long,” Guthrie changed those numbers to 21. Moreover, Guthrie started with the verse instead of the chorus. He also added some new verses at the end of the song.

OTHER NOTABLE RECORDINGS

Here are other performers from various genres that have recorded Worried Man Blues: Pete Seeger, Cisco Houston, Ramblin’ Jack Elliot, Kingston Trio, June Carter with Johnny Cash, The Stanley Brothers, George Jones, Osborne Brothers, Van Morrison and Devo. One notable difference with modern versions of the song is that the singers repeat the line of the verses three times. Similarly, Jenny repeats the line three times in the video tutorial. Whereas in the earlier versions, such as those of the Carter Family and Guthrie, they repeated the lines just twice.

Happy strumming!

 

Do you want to sound convincing on folk songs? You know basic chords and strumming patterns. And you’re interested in folk music. You’d like to take it to the next level.

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  1. Teach a Rest Position

Create a standard position players use whenever they are listening:

  • Place the ukulele flat against the body.
  • Rest the strumming hand gently on the strings.
  • Keep both hands still.
  • Look toward the leader.

Call it “rest position” and demonstrate it at the group’s first meeting. Use the same phrase consistently: “Ukuleles in rest position, please.”

This physically mutes the strings and gives everyone a clear visual signal that playing has stopped.

  1. Use One Attention Signal

Choose a signal that can be seen or heard across the room. Possibilities include:

  • Raising one hand
  • Playing a short, distinctive chord
  • Saying, “Rest position”

Explain the signal before rehearsal begins: “When you see my hand raised, finish the chord you are playing, mute your strings, and look up.”

Avoid competing with the group by repeatedly talking over the instruments. Give the signal, pause, and wait until everyone is ready.

  1. Set a Clear “No Noodling” Expectation

Many players noodle because they are excited, nervous, practicing a difficult chord, or unaware that it is distracting. Address the behavior without embarrassing anyone.

Try saying:

“Between songs, please mute your strings so everyone can hear the instructions. We’ll always give you a moment to check chords before we begin.”

Then build short, intentional practice windows into the session:

  • “Take 20 seconds to find the opening chord.”
  • “Quietly check the change from C to G7.”
  • “Let’s try that strum together once.”

Players are more likely to stop playing at random when they know when practice is welcome.

  1. Amplify the Leader, Not the Entire Room

In larger groups, a small microphone, portable speaker, or amplified ukulele can save the leader’s voice and make directions easier to follow. Amplification should provide clarity—not to overpower the players.

Test the equipment before the session, position the speaker where everyone can hear it, and keep spoken instructions short. A microphone cannot replace an attention routine, but it makes a good routine much more effective.

  1. Create Predictable Transitions

Noodling often fills uncertainty. Tell players exactly what is happening next:

    1. “Finish the final chord.”
    2. “Rest position.”
    3. “Turn to page 14.”
    4. “Find a C chord.”
    5. “Watch for my count-in.”

Use a visible or audible count-in before every song. Once players learn that nothing begins until the leader counts them in, spontaneous starts become less common.

6. Operate iPads for music.

Many ukulele groups read off iPads, and everyone buys the same app. forScore is one of the common ones, but don’t get anything until the group leader tells you which one they use. From there, the leader or the singer/songwriter shares the music by AirDrop, so everyone is reading off the same page. Corrections land with the whole group at once, and nobody is working from an outdated copy.

 

A Simple Group Agreement

At the beginning of a session, say:

“To help everyone hear and learn, we use rest position whenever someone is speaking. When I raise my hand, please mute your strings and look up. You’ll have time to check chords before each song, and we’ll always start together on the count-in.”

The goal is not silence for its own sake. It is to create a group in which instructions are brief, rehearsals move smoothly, and everyone gets more time to make music together.

 

Here’s a list of etiquette expectations from ukulele group members to make the group learning more effective and fruitful for everyone. 

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