How to Play "A Boy Named Sue" by Johnny Cash on Guitar

Howdy! This is one of my all-time favorite Johnny Cash songs. And it’s what I call a grower. It’s a great song for beginners because it only has three chords. But to make it sound really authentic, you’ll want to add some fancy strumming.

If you want to play the San Quentin Prison version, you’ll need a capo on fret 1. Most of the other versions are capoless! Anyways, let’s get into it.

A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash: Chords

Good news: the chord progression is super simple and repeats all the way through. You’ll need A, D, E, and back to A. Play each chord for a bar. That’s A D E A.

Start by strumming four downstrums to the bar, making sure you change chords in time and keep the rhythm steady. Once that’s solid, you can make it more complex.

🎸 One Minute Changes – if you’re struggling to make quick chord changes, don’t worry. Check out my super-popular One-Minute Changes exercise.

A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash: Performance Tips

With songs like this, there isn’t a set rhythm or phrasing to follow. This one is more like a story told over some chords than a song. So experiment with how you place the lyrics over the chords. If you keep the rhythm consistent, you can move the lyrics around as you please. Now let’s cover the strumming and rhythm. :)

A Boy Named Sue by Johnny Cash: Rhythm

This is a good one for experimenting with different strumming patterns. Try Old Faithful (1 2+ +4), playing it twice for each chord. To really make your playing sound authentic, pick the bass note with the thumb, then strum the chord by flicking finger 1 across the strings.

On the A chord, we’ll play string 5 with my thumb, then strum strings 4, 3, 2, and 1 with finger 1. The rhythm is:

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +
B D B D B D B D

On the D chord, we do the same but hit string 4 with the thumb, and on the E, we hit string 6. Get comfortable with this pattern on each chord, then practice switching between them.

🔥 Pick specific notes as you play rhythm like a pro with my exclusive lesson on picking individual strings while strumming.

A key part of this strumming technique is to rest the palm of your fretting hand on the bass strings as you strum with finger 1. This will mute the bass string you have just plucked. If this is tricky, forget the finger 1 strum. Play bass, rest, bass, rest until that feels natural. Then add the finger 1 flick.

To make this super authentic, alternate the bass note. On A, pick string 5 on beats 1 and 3, and string 6 on beats 2 and 4. On E, do the same with strings 6 and 5, and on D, alternate between strings 4 and 5. Here’s the pattern for the three chords:

A                  D                  E

1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +    1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +    1 + 2 + 3 + 4 +

5 C 6 C 5 C 6 C    4 C 5 C 4 C 5 C    6 C 5 C 6 C 5 C

A Boy Named Sue: Percussive Hit

You can make the strumming sound ultra cool by adding a hit. On the “ands”, slap the palm of your hand on the strings over the sound hole. You should hear a clicky, slappy sound. That’s a percussive hit!

You might need some practice with this. Make sure you can play the hit well, then add the bass notes or alternating bass notes (still ensuring you mute them after you play them). Finally, add the finger 1 strum. You strum and hit at the same time, so you should hear a mixture of both:

1  +  2  +  3  +  4  +

B H/C B H/C B H/C B H/C    (H/C means hit/chord)

If this technique is new to you, just stick with it. It will be awkward for a while, but with enough practice, you’ll wonder why you ever found it tricky!

💡 Master The Percussive Hit with my in-depth lesson on playing hits on the backbeat.

Try to relax too. Once you have the mechanics right, stop trying to make it happen and instead focus on feeling good and sounding confident as you play.

If you’re a beginner, focus on the chords and the rhythm. Keep it simple. Then you can add bass notes and the fancy rhythm tricks later. Have loads of fun with this one, and I’ll see you for more song lessons real soon. :)

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