Dee Dee Bridgewater - Slow Boat to China Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
Guitar A# | B♭ chord diagram
Guitar G7 chord diagram
Guitar D# | E♭ chord diagram
Guitar E chord diagram
Guitar D7 chord diagram
Guitar C7 chord diagram
Guitar Cm7 chord diagram
Guitar F7 chord diagram
Guitar D#m | E♭m chord diagram
[Opening]
[Bb]I’d love to [G7]get you
On a [Eb]slow boat to [E]China,
[Bb]All to my[D7]self a[Eb]lone. [G7]
[Eb]Get you to [E]keep you in my [Bb]arms ever[G7]more,
[C7]Leave all your lovers
[Cm7]Weeping on the faraway [F7]shore.
[Closing]
[Bb]Out on the [G7]briny
With the [Eb]moon big and [E]shiny,
[Bb]Melting your [D7]heart of [Eb]stone. [G7]
[Eb]I’d love to [Ebm]get you
On a [Bb]slow boat to [G7]China,
[C7]All to my[F7]self a[Bb]lone.
How to play Slow Boat to China on Guitar (Step-by-step)
Dee Dee Bridgewater - Slow Boat to China on guitar requires 9 chords and 13 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.
Slow Boat to China uses these transitions most often: Bb → G7 (4), G7 → Eb (4), and E → Bb (3). 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 Bb - G7 chord transition.
1. Bb → G7 chord transition
To move from Bb to G7;
- While playing Bb, lift your pinky from B string fret 3.
- Slide your index finger on A string from fret 1 to fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.
2. G7 → Eb chord transition
To move from G7 to Eb;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 4.
3. Eb → E chord transition
To move from Eb to E;
- While playing Eb, lift your pinky from B string fret 4.
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 2.
4. E → Bb chord transition
To move from E to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
5. Bb → D7 chord transition
To move from Bb to D7;
- While playing Bb, lift your pinky from B string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 2.
6. D7 → Eb chord transition
To move from D7 to Eb;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 4.
7. G7 → C7 chord transition
To move from G7 to C7;
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to D string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on G string fret 3.
8. C7 → Cm7 chord transition
To move from C7 to Cm7;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky from G string fret 3 to B string fret 4.
9. Cm7 → F7 chord transition
To move from Cm7 to F7;
- While playing Cm7, lift your pinky from B string fret 4.
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 3.
10. F7 → Bb chord transition
To move from F7 to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Place pinky on B string fret 3.
11. Eb → Ebm chord transition
To move from Eb to Ebm;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on D string fret 4.
- Keep pinky on B string fret 4.
12. Ebm → Bb chord transition
To move from Ebm to Bb;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 3 to D string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from D string fret 4 and place it on G string fret 3.
- Slide your pinky on B string from fret 4 to fret 3.
13. C7 → F7 chord transition
To move from C7 to F7;
- While playing C7, lift your pinky from G string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to G string fret 2.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
Slow Boat to China chord transition analysis
A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Slow Boat to China.
- Slow Boat to China includes 29 chord transitions, 13 of them unique.
- These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Chordier.
- These transition patterns show how Slow Boat to China connects to the rest of Chordier. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.After Bb, the most likely next chords across Chordier are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
- Bb → G7: 1%
- Bb → D7: 1%
After G7, the most likely next chords across Chordier are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).- G7 → C7: 5%
- G7 → Eb: 0%