Super Simple Chords

Piano chords · Old-time stride

How to play Blues In The Night on piano

By Johnny Mercer

  • Bb major
  • 4/4
  • 80 BPM
  • 1941
  • Easy
Tuning the piano…
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Style

Left hand Stride jumpsThe right hand sings the tuneChords the loop the song repeats most

Learn Blues In The Night in 5 steps

The chords first, then one hand at a time. Each step plays in the player above.

  1. 1

    Chords: F7 – Bb7 – C7 – F7

    Blues In The Night sits in Bb major: Bb is home, where the song ends. It goes round 4 chords: F7 is F, A, C and Eb; Bb7 is Bb, D, F and Ab; C7 is C, E, G and Bb. Play each one as a block with your right hand until the changes feel easy.

    F7V7Bb7I7C7II7F7V7
    • F7F · A · C · Eb
    • Bb7Bb · D · F · Ab
    • C7C · E · G · Bb
  2. 2

    Left hand: Stride jumps

    Deep bass, then a chord in the middle: the left hand leaps. Musicians call it stride (stride & boom-chick), an easy pattern heard in 961 songs of the library.

  3. 3

    Right hand: the chords, held

    In this song the right hand mostly plays the tune itself. Hold the chords lightly, or play the melody over the left hand.

  4. 4

    Both hands at 80 BPM

    Put the two hands together over the loop. Start at half speed with the player's speed control, and bring it up once every change is easy.

  5. 5

    Ending: Eb – F – Bb

    The last chords are IV – V – I, then one chord rolled from the bottom up, left to ring.

    EbFBb
    • EbEb · G · Bb
    • FF · A · C
    • BbBb · D · F

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Questions about Blues In The Night

What chords are in Blues In The Night?

The loop is F7 – Bb7 – C7 – F7 (V7 – I7 – II7 – V7) in Bb major, and the song ends on Eb – F – Bb.

What key is Blues In The Night in?

Bb major, at about 80 beats a minute in 4/4.

What does the left hand play in Blues In The Night?

Stride jumps: stride, an easy pattern. It follows the chords, so the same shape works for every bar.

Is Blues In The Night easy to play on piano?

Yes. Both hands play easy patterns over 4 chords. Learn the chords first, then add one hand at a time.

Made from 2 arrangements of this song: the left and right hands are the patterns these scores repeat most.