Chords for How To Play Jerry Jeff Walker Mr Bojangles

_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ Hi again, let's take a look at the classic Mr Bojangles.
There are some chord sequences
that some writers have used since time immemorial [Gm] because they just work so well _ and you can
fit so many different songs around them.
This chord sequence with [N] Mr Bojangles is a good
example.
We're in the key of C, I'm capoed at the first fret, it suits my [Gb] voice, [Ab] capoed
at the [G] first fret.
Jerry Jeff Walker capoed it at the second fret, [N] capoed it wherever
it suits your voice.
So [E] let's get straight into how to play it.
We want a C chord.
_ You
follow this on your song sheet.
I include the tab [Bm] because I know some people prefer
[Gb] to be able to refer to it but really the strum pattern is the same throughout the song so
the tab [E] isn't going to help very much.
[N] Once you've got the song sheet, each chord will
be the same strum pattern.
We're going to play out of a C chord.
Pick the bass note
of the chord, [Db] that's the fifth string, and then down up down [Bm] up.
It's in three beats
to the bar [Db] so that's counting one, two and three and.
_ [Eb] If you [Db] find it very difficult to
pick a chord, pick a note and then strum a chord, [Ebm] two possibilities.
One is to put your
pick down and use your thumb for [Db] the bass note. _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ The other is to [Bb] ignore the pick completely
and just strum down [G] wherever I say it's a [Db] bass note.
Down down up down up, down down
up down up.
[E] That'll work fine too.
[Bb] _
OK, so [Db] that's your C chord.
_ _ [Fm] Now the song sheet introduction
says [Bm] G over B, [Gm] not complicated, it's [Gb] the fifth string second fret.
It's not technically for
G we should add another note in but don't worry about it, just pick again the fifth
string and same [C] strum [Ab] pattern. _
_ _ Then a [Bb] normal A minor chord, fifth string and strum.
[Bbm] _ _ _ A minor
seven over [N] G, not as complicated as it looks.
Out of your A minor shape, take the ring finger
off and put it on the sixth string third fret.
Play the sixth [Db] string and strum.
_ _ That's your
ring finger.
_ [Fm] _ _
_ [Bbm] _ _ [Db] _ _ _ And now we start [C] to sing and we play the same [Gb] sequence as we sing the first
line.
[Db] A new old [Fm] man who [Bbm] jangles and he danced for [Db] you.
_ _ _ _ [Fm] Now [F] we want an F chord.
If you [Gb] can,
play it as a bar _ or as an F shape, kind of like that or like that with the thumb hooked
over so that you can get a sixth string bass note.
If you can do that, [B] your strum pattern
[Ab] is [Gb] sixth string bass and then strum.
_ _ If you [E] can't play the sixth string, then [Gb] play an
F like that and play four strum. _ _
_ _ _ _ _ [Ab] And then G is a normal G chord, sixth strum.
_ [Gb] _ _ _
_ _ [Ab] _ _ _ Just
notice [Gb] that was two bars of each chord.
Bass, down, up, down, up, bass, [Ab] down, up, down,
up and then G is the same. _ _ _
[Db] Now our original descending bass sequence comes back. _ _
[Fm] _ _ [Bbm] And _ [Db] _ _ _
the
[N] same pattern of F for two bars to G two [Gb] bars.
_ _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _
_ _ _ Now we're [N] going to play F again for two bars
and then C for [Gb] two bars.
_ _ _ _ [Db] _
_ _ _ [N] My mistake, F two bars and then C one bar and then one bar of
E.
[F] When you get to E, it's six strum.
_ _ _ And then A minor [C] to A minor seven over G like
we did in [Bbm] the intro.
_ _ [Db] _
_ _ [Ab] So here's that [Gb] whole line. _ _
He jumped [Db] so [F] high, jumped [Bbm] so [Db] high.
_ _ _ Now
[E] that A minor seven over G [Bb] is heading us towards a new [N] bass note, F sharp.
Make a D7 chord
shape and hook the thumb over on the sixth string second fret.
_ [Gm] [Eb] Play six strum and [G] it'll
be two bars.
[Eb] _ _ _ _ _ [B]
If you hate hooking the thumb over, you'll [F] need to play the fourth string
and strum [Eb] for two bars.
_ _ _ _ _ _ [Db]
[N] And then G, now the simple way to play it would be to play G for
[Ab] two bars.
_ _ _ _ [Bbm] If you do that, then what you're going to get is a_
_ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ But [G] on the record, there's a cool little [Bb] descending bass run where you play G for [Ab] one bar and
_ then you would come down the [E] fourth [N] string, keeping the little finger where it is on the
first string third fret or whatever finger you're using.
Play fret the fourth string
of the second fret, play four [Fm] strum. _ _ _
Then fret the fourth [C] string of the third fret and
play four strum [Ab] _
and _ then four open. _
_ _ So we get G, [Fm] G over E, [Ab] G over F, G over D. _
_ The notes
[Fm] after the slashes, many of you will know [Ab] this, the notes after the slashes [Gb] are the bass notes.
So it's telling you that that's a G chord with first an E [F] bass, that note, then an F
[Ebm] bass, that note, then a D bass, the open string.
[Ab] _ _ _ [Bbm] _
_ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ [Fm] _
_ [Ab] _ _ _ _ _ _
And we're into the chorus.
[Eb] A [Bb] minor, pick the fifth string and strum and do it for two bars.
[Bbm] _ _ _ _
_ [Bb] And then [Ab] G for two bars. _ _ _
_ _ Repeat that two [Bb] more times. _
_ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _ _ [Bbm] _
_ _ _ _ [Ab] _ _ _ _
_ And on the word dance, it's our intro [Db] sequence again.
_ [Fm] _ _ _ [Bbm] _ _ [Db] _
_ _ You get to A minor 7 over [Bb] G, you'll next come back to C and begin to sing verse [Db] 2.
_ _ [Fm] _
_ _ [Bb] _ _ [Db] _ _ _ [Fm] _
_ _ [N] And you're probably way ahead of me with the idea that having learnt a verse and a chorus,
you've learnt the whole song because it simply repeats verses and choruses.
_ So you do that
for every subsequent verse and chorus and I recommend finishing it with a return to
the intro sequence.
So the intro sequence comes of course on that final chorus.
[Bb] Mr Bojangles, Mr _ [Ab] _ _
Bojangles, [Db] daaah.
_ [Fm] So you're [Bbm] back to your intro sequence, [Db] maybe play it twice, [Fm] _ _
[Bbm] slowing down, [Db] _ _ and C.
A spread
out strum of the C chord is a very nice way to finish this [B] song.
Not very difficult, [N] fun
to play, most people know it, go for it, Mr