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Louis Armstrong - Black And Blue Chords

ChordsAm, Dm, D7, C, G7, Fm, E7, Cmaj7, G
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

AmDmAmD7CDmG7CFmE7
AmColdemptybed,Dmspringshardaslead
AmFeellikeoldNed,D7wishedIwasdead
Cmaj7WhatdidIdotoDmbesoblackandCblue?G7E7
AmEventhemouseDmranfrommyhouse
AmTheylaughatyouDmscornyoutoo
Cmaj7WhatdidIdotoDmbesoblackandCblue?FmC
GI’mwhiteinside,Cbutthatdon’tGhelpmyCcase
GCauseIcan’thideCwhatisG7onmyE7face
AmHowwillitend?DmAin’tgotafriend
AmMyonlysinDmisinmyskin
Cmaj7WhatdidIdotoDmbesoGblackandCblue?G7E7
Tellme,AmwhatdidIdo?DmWhatdidIdo?
AmWhatdidIdo?D7WhatdidIdo?
Tellme,Cmaj7whatdidIdotobeDmsoblackandCblue?G7E7
Cmaj7WhatdidIdotobeFmsoblackandCblue?
AlbumSingle
GenresJazz
Year1954
KeyAm
DifficultyAdvanced

How to play Black And Blue on Guitar (Step-by-step)

Louis Armstrong - Black And Blue on guitar requires 9 chords and 16 core chord transitions. You can find the full step-by-step guide below. Before you start, tune your instrument. The song uses the ↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑ pattern; practice it muted first, or simplify to downstrokes while you learn the changes.

Black And Blue uses these transitions most often: Am → Dm (7), Dm → Am (5), and C → G7 (4). These transitions may feel a little challenging at first, but with steady practice you can play this song quickly.When you are ready, begin with Am - Dm chord transition.

1. Am → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to Dm:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 7 times.

Am to Dm

2. Am → D7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Am to D7:

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

Am to D7

3. D7 → C chord transition

Here's how to move from D7 to C:

  1. Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
  2. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from E string fret 2 to A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

D7 to C

4. C → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from C to Dm:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

C to Dm

5. Dm → G7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Dm to G7:

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.

This transition appears in the verse.

6. G7 → C chord transition

Here's how to move from G7 to C:

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

7. C → Fm chord transition

Switching from C to Fm:

  1. While playing C, lift your middle finger from D string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

8. Fm → E7 chord transition

Here's how to move from Fm to E7:

  1. While playing Fm, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse.

9. E7 → Am chord transition

To move from E7 to Am:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on G string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

10. D7 → Cmaj7 chord transition

Here's how to move from D7 to Cmaj7:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from E string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 2 times.

11. Cmaj7 → Dm chord transition

Here's how to move from Cmaj7 to Dm:

  1. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

12. G7 → E7 chord transition

To move from G7 to E7:

  1. While playing G7, lift your ring finger from E string fret 1.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 2.

This transition appears in the verse, played 4 times.

13. C → G chord transition

To move from C to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse, played 3 times.

14. Dm → G chord transition

To move from Dm to G:

  1. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

15. E7 → Cmaj7 chord transition

To move from E7 to Cmaj7:

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
  3. Place ring finger on A string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

16. Cmaj7 → Fm chord transition

Switching from Cmaj7 to Fm:

  1. While playing Cmaj7, lift your middle finger from E string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on D string fret 3.

This transition appears in the verse.

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Black And Blue.

  • Black And Blue includes 57 chord transitions, 16 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
  • Black And Blue contains 1 of the top 10 transitions across Chordier.
  • These transition patterns show how Black And Blue connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Dm, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (18%), G (16%), and Am (14%).
    • Dm → C: 18%
    • Dm → G: 16%
    After C, the most likely next chords across Chordier are G (35%), F (16%), and D (11%).
    • C → G: 35%
    • C → Dm: 5%