Chords to Blue Light Boogie

[Bob Visentin]

I'm trying to figure out the chords to Blue Light Boogie by Louis Jordon. He does it in Db and I think the next chord is a Dbm not a Gb like most people on you tube play it.

What do you hear?

Playing a IV chord makes this song just another blues and I think the i is much more interesting.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=um-E0lBW69c

[Tom Wright]

It is a Gb9, which puts the apparent Dbm triad on top. The important thing is to keep an Ab on top when you play the IV chord (Gb9). The guitar is just playing that simple blues figure, and just plays the minor third (Ab on top) which makes it sound like Dbm.

The bass goes to the IV so it is proper to chart it that way. I'd play in D for mando, that way you can do the IV9 chord as G9, as in 4-3-0-x or 0-3-0-x. The key of D is comfortable, and you can do those sweet 6th sounds as 7-4-2-x, or show off by playing the guitar riff---x-4-0-x, x-5-2-x, z-4-0-x. For the 9th chord just use F natural---x-3-0-x, x-5-2-x, x-3-0-x

[Bob Visentin]

Cool! Makes sense to me. Thanks!