© Bluestronomical Publishing Inc. 2007

By Jackie Don Loe

~ Uptown Blues ~

Many moons ago on a gig, the singer called out for a blues in the key of B flat (Bb). It was after the first verse of the song that he turned around and shouted ‘Go uptown, man!’ I had no clue what he meant and played the standard dominant seven chords as shown in example one. After the song he suggested that I get a guitar chord book and learn some jazz chords. He said, "Going uptown is my way of telling the band to make it sound jazzy!"

The chord substitutions you can use in a twelve bar blues are endless. In example two, I have charted out an excellent way to go uptown and jazz up your blues. Take it slow at first and learn the chord voicings then comp a Charleston style rhythm to the progression and swing it. Don’t let the extended chord names intimidate you – all the chord voicings are played on the top four strings and work very well together. These are very hip voicings and will expand your chord vocabulary.

EX. 1 - 12 Bar Blues in Bb

Bb7 / / / | Eb7 / / / | Bb7 / / / | Bb7 / / / | Eb7 / / / | Eb7 / / / | Bb7 / / / | Bb7 / / / |

F7 / / / | Eb7 / / / | Bb7 / / / | Bb7 / / / ||

EX. 2 - 12 Bar Blues in Bb with "Uptown" chord voicings

Bb13 / / / | Eb9 / / / | Bb13 / / / | Bb7#5#9 / / / | Eb9 / / / | Edim7 / / / | Bb13 / A13b9 / |

Ab13 / G7#5#9 / | Cm7 / / / | F11 / F13b9 / | Bb13 / G7#5#9 / | Cm9 / F7#5#9 / ||

Uptown Chord Voicings

* The numbers following the chord letter are where you fret your fingers on the string. If there is a "0" then the string is open, if there is an "x" then no note is played.

Enjoy, and always keep your ears open.

     - Jackie Don Loe -

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