Louis Armstrong - Black And Blue Chords
Before you play, tune your guitar and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.
[Opening]
[Am] [Dm] [Am] [D7] [C] [Dm] [G7] [C] [Fm] [E7]
[Am]Cold empty bed, [Dm]springs hard as lead
[Am]Feel like old Ned, [D7]wished I was dead
[Cmaj7]What did I do to [Dm]be so black and [C]blue? [G7] [E7]
[verse 2]
[Am]Even the mouse [Dm]ran from my house
[Am]They laugh at you [Dm]scorn you too
[Cmaj7]What did I do to [Dm]be so black and [C]blue? [Fm] [C]
[verse 3]
[G]I’m white inside, [C]but that don’t [G]help my [C]case
[G]Cause I can’t hide [C]what is [G7]on my [E7]face
[verse 4]
[Am]How will it end? [Dm]Ain’t got a friend
[Am]My only sin [Dm]is in my skin
[Cmaj7]What did I do to [Dm]be so [G]black and [C]blue? [G7] [E7]
[Closing]
Tell me, [Am]what did I do? [Dm]What did I do?
[Am]What did I do? [D7]What did I do?
Tell me, [Cmaj7]what did I do to be [Dm]so black and [C]blue? [G7] [E7]
[Cmaj7]What did I do to be [Fm]so black and [C]blue?
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
To move from Am to Dm;
- 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.
- Lift your ring finger from G string fret 2 and place it on B string fret 3.
2. Am → D7 chord transition
To move from Am to D7;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Lift your middle finger from D string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 2.
3. D7 → C chord transition
To move from D7 to C;
- Keep index finger on B string fret 1.
- Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your ring finger from E string fret 2 to A string fret 3.
4. C → Dm chord transition
To move from C to Dm;
- 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.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
5. Dm → G7 chord transition
To move from Dm to G7;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.
6. G7 → C chord transition
To move from G7 to C;
- 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.
7. C → Fm chord transition
To move from C to Fm;
- While playing C, lift your middle finger from D string fret 2.
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
8. Fm → E7 chord transition
To move from Fm to E7;
- While playing Fm, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 1.
- Place middle finger on A string fret 2.
9. E7 → Am chord transition
To move from E7 to Am;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on B string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to D string fret 2.
- Place ring finger on G string fret 2.
10. D7 → Cmaj7 chord transition
To move from D7 to Cmaj7;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- 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 A string fret 3.
11. Cmaj7 → Dm chord transition
To move from Cmaj7 to Dm;
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to G string fret 2.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on B string fret 3.
12. G7 → E7 chord transition
To move from G7 to E7;
- While playing G7, lift your ring finger from E string fret 1.
- Lift your index finger from A string fret 2 and place it on G string fret 1.
- Slide your middle finger from E string fret 3 to A string fret 2.
13. C → G chord transition
To move from C to G;
- Lift your index finger from B string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from D string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from A string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
14. Dm → G chord transition
To move from Dm to G;
- Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from G string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Lift your ring finger from B string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 3.
15. E7 → Cmaj7 chord transition
To move from E7 to Cmaj7;
- Lift your index finger from G string fret 1 and place it on D string fret 2.
- Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to E string fret 3.
- Place ring finger on A string fret 3.
16. Cmaj7 → Fm chord transition
To move from Cmaj7 to Fm;
- While playing Cmaj7, lift your middle finger from E string fret 3.
- Lift your index finger from D string fret 2 and place it on E string fret 1.
- Keep ring finger on A string fret 3.
- Place pinky on D string fret 3.
Black And Blue chord transition analysis
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%