Chords + Lyrics | Hound Dog
Intro
| N.C |
Verse 1
| C7 | C7 | C7 | C7 |
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time.
| F | F F7 | C7 | C7 |
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time.
| G (G7) | F (F7) | N.C | N.C |
Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine.
Verse 2
Well, they said you was high-classed. Well, that was just a lie.
Yeah, they said you was high-classed. Well, that was just a lie.
Yeah, you ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine.
Verse 3
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time.
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time.
Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine.
Solo 1
| C7 | C7 | C7 | C7 |
| F (F7) | F (F7) | C7 | C7 |
| G (G7) | F (F7) | C7 | C7 |
Verse 4
Well, they said you was high-classed. Well, that was just a lie.
Yeah, they said you was high-classed. Well, that was just a lie.
Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine.
Solo 2
| C7 | C7 | C7 | C7 |
| F (F7) | F (F7) | C7 | C7 |
| G (G7) | F (F7) | C7 | C7 |
Verse 5
Well, they said you was high-classed. Well, that was just a lie.
Yeah, they said you was high-classed. Well, that was just a lie.
Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine.
Verse 6
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time.
You ain’t nothin’ but a hound dog, cryin’ all the time.
| G (G7) N.C | N.C | N.C | Db6/9 C6/9 |
Well, you ain’t never caught a rabbit and you ain’t no friend of mine.
Hound Dog Backing Tracks | Chord Analysis
Above, you’ll find backing tracks to use when learning Hound Dog. I’ve used stem-seperation to extract the guitar while keeping the drums, bass, keys, horns, and vocals intact.
After studying the chords and TAB, use my backing tracks to prepare for playing this tune with a band.
Should you want to play along with the original recording instead, you need to tune your guitar sharp to 443Hz. In the backing tracks, I’ve done this job for you by tuning it to 440Hz.
Chord Progressions – What’s Going On?
What’s really important about Hound Dog is not the exact chords Elvis plays on the acoustic, but rather what his sideman, Scotty Moore, does on guitar. Scotty’s approach is essential to the sound we know, and it’s what we should focus on if we’re looking to play this iconic song in a live band setting.
If you’re called upon to play Hound Dog as the only guitarist in a band, I’ve designed some TAB to help you nail the part. Check out further down this guitar lesson.
We’ll start by learning Scotty’s part note-for-note, and then modify it. Scotty’s guitar doesn’t have much low end, and he was backed by a double bass, which made his approach work in the original recording. But if you’re playing with an electric bass player and a fuller guitar sound, things can get a bit muddy. That’s why we’ll adjust his part to suit a fuller mix.
Once you’ve mastered the TAB and decided how much of Scotty’s original part you want to incorporate into your playing, use the following chord progression as a reminder, thinking in Roman numerals:
||: C7 (I) | C7 | C7 | C7 |
| F (IV) | F7 F | C7 | C7 |
| G IV) G7 | F F7 | N.C | N.C :||
The solo follows the same progression, but in the last two bars, we play C7 instead of letting it stop. Speaking of the solo, I’ve also included TAB for that, and you can use those ideas for countless other songs in the same style!
Here’s a chord chart to bring along to the gig.
Hound Dog Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro Download
Should you want to download this chart, here’s a PDF: Hound Dog chord chart PDF.
This chord chart was created using iReal Pro, here’s a link to that file: Hound Dog iReal Pro.
Using this and the iRealPro app, you can change the key. This may be. a great idea when practising playing the solo!
Hound Dog | TAB
Let’s explore a few ways to play Hound Dog. Here’s a good starting point — what Scotty Moore played!
Hound Dog TAB Idea 1:
This first approach is the classic version. However, the low G over the C7 chord might sound great with a double bass and a guitar tone that’s thin on the low end. These days, though, that low G can get muddy.
If you want to stay true to Scotty Moore’s sound, consider dropping the 6th string. Once we hit the F chord, it feels a bit empty — but maybe that’s just me getting used to it. The G7 to F7 part is buried in the mix, beneath the backing vocals.
Let’s look at an alternative, I like this and think you should at least try it.
Hound Dog TAB Idea 2:
This version is a bit cleaner. The C7 riff is less busy, and I’ve added a bit more to the F chord. The G7 to F7 transition is more compact. Overall, this version has a more repetitive rhythm, which is quite effective.
Here’s a third idea, perhaps use this if someone else is soloing.
Hound Dog TAB Idea 3:
This third approach is more repetitive rhythmically. It’s a great choice if someone else is taking the solo.
I recommend trying all three ideas, playing along to the original recording, and then experimenting with mixing them up. Remember, this is Blues/Rock ‘n’ Roll/Country, so improvisation is key!
Finally, the solo. This is extremely important. In 13 bars, this entire style is explained!
Hound Dog TAB Solo:
The solo in Hound Dog is a pivotal moment in rock history. In just 13 bars, this solo encapsulates an entire style. Here’s a breakdown:
- Phrase 1: C minor pentatonic, starting on the 1+
- Phrase 2: Identical to Phrase 1, but starting on the 3+ (this is rhythmic displacement!)
- Phrase 3 (bars 4–8): Mixing C major blues and minor blues scales — make sure you understand the intervals
- Phrase 4 (bars 9–11): C minor and C major pentatonic, with no blues notes
- Phrase 5 (last two bars): C major pentatonic only
Learning this solo note-for-note is important, but more importantly, you need to learn from it. Once you’ve grasped it, you’ll be able to create your own variations, just like Scotty Moore did when recording Hound Dog and shaping the Country/Blues/Rock ‘n’ Roll sound.
Try it using the backing tracks with only the chord chart as your guide!
One of many covers Elvis sang
Hound Dog was one of many covers Elvis performed, but it remains one of the most iconic in early Rock ‘n’ Roll history. When Elvis released Hound Dog, it shook the world and had all the girls screaming.
However, it wasn’t actually an original composition by Elvis. Hound Dog was a cover of Big Mama Thornton’s version. While Elvis certainly made it his own, the song’s writers, Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller, didn’t initially love his rendition. They felt it sounded “too white.” But after 7-8 million copies sold, they began to change their tune!
Lieber and Stoller would go on to write several more timeless hits for Elvis, including Jailhouse Rock, Love Me, Loving You, Don’t, and King Creole.
Hound Dog Chords: Continue Learning
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