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14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?We analyzed 14,015 chord transitions and ranked the 100 most repeated ones. Even the first 10 will transform your practice routine. The top transition appears in 23% of all songs.

Dee Dee Bridgewater - Slow Boat to China Ukulele Chords

DATA-DRIVENWhich Chord Comes Next?Learn the most likely chord transitions on the ukulele and start playing songs with confidence.
ChordsBb, G7, Eb, E, D7, C7, Cm7, F7, Ebm
Strumming↓-↓↑-↓↑-↓↑

Before you play, tune your ukulele and use the tools below to set up your view and flow.

  • Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram
  • Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele D# | E♭ chord diagram Fingering: 0-3-3-1Ukulele D# | E♭ chord diagram
  • Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram
  • Ukulele D7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-2-2-3 Barre at fret 2.Ukulele D7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele C7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-0-0-1Ukulele C7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele Cm7 chord diagram Fingering: 3-3-3-3 Barre at fret 3.Ukulele Cm7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele F7 chord diagram Fingering: 2-3-1-3Ukulele F7 chord diagram
  • Ukulele D#m | E♭m chord diagram Fingering: 3-3-2-1Ukulele D#m | E♭m chord diagram

[Opening]
[Bb]I’d love to [G7]get you
On a [Eb]slow boat to [E]China,
[Bb]All to my[D7]self a[Eb]lone. [G7]
[Eb]Get you to [E]keep you in my [Bb]arms ever[G7]more,
[C7]Leave all your lovers
[Cm7]Weeping on the faraway [F7]shore.

[Closing]
[Bb]Out on the [G7]briny
With the [Eb]moon big and [E]shiny,
[Bb]Melting your [D7]heart of [Eb]stone. [G7]
[Eb]I’d love to [Ebm]get you
On a [Bb]slow boat to [G7]China,
[C7]All to my[F7]self a[Bb]lone.

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SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookDiscover the most-used three-chord combinations in songs and build real command on the ukulele.
14,015 TRANSITIONS ANALYZED#1 at 23%: Which Transition?Master ukulele today with the 100 most repeated chord transitions from 14,015 analyzed.
ArtistDee Dee Bridgewater
AlbumDear Ella
GenresJazz
Year1997
KeyBb

How to play Slow Boat to China on Ukulele (Step-by-step)

Dee Dee Bridgewater - Slow Boat to China on ukulele requires 9 chords and 13 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.

Slow Boat to China uses these transitions most often: Bb → G7 (4), G7 → Eb (4), and E → Bb (3). 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 Bb - G7 chord transition.

1. Bb → G7 chord transition

Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram
Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram

To move from Bb to G7;

  1. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  2. Keep middle finger on C string fret 2.
  3. Lift your ring finger from G string fret 3 and place it on A string fret 2.
Bb to G7

2. G7 → Eb chord transition

Ukulele G7 chord diagram Fingering: 0-2-1-2Ukulele G7 chord diagram
Ukulele D# | E♭ chord diagram Fingering: 0-3-3-1Ukulele D# | E♭ chord diagram

To move from G7 to Eb;

  1. While playing G7, lift your middle finger from C string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.
  3. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on E string fret 3.
G7 to Eb

3. Eb → E chord transition

Ukulele D# | E♭ chord diagram Fingering: 0-3-3-1Ukulele D# | E♭ chord diagram
Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram

To move from Eb to E;

  1. While playing Eb, first lift your ring finger and pinky.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 4.
  3. Place middle finger on A string fret 2.
Eb to E

4. E → Bb chord transition

Ukulele E chord diagram Fingering: 4-4-4-2 Barre at fret 4.Ukulele E chord diagram
Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram Fingering: 3-2-1-1 Barre at fret 1.Ukulele A# | B♭ chord diagram

To move from E to Bb;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 4 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Slide your middle finger from A string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on G string fret 3.
E to Bb

5. Bb → D7 chord transition

To move from Bb to D7;

  1. While playing Bb, lift your middle finger from C string fret 2.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 2.
  3. Slide your ring finger from G string fret 3 to A string fret 3.

6. D7 → Eb chord transition

To move from D7 to Eb;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 2 and place it on A string fret 1.
  2. Slide your ring finger from A string fret 3 to C string fret 3.
  3. Place pinky on E string fret 3.

7. G7 → C7 chord transition

To move from G7 to C7;

  1. While playing G7, first lift your middle finger and ring finger.
  2. Lift your index finger from E string fret 1 and place it on A string fret 1.

8. C7 → Cm7 chord transition

To move from C7 to Cm7;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on G string fret 3.

9. Cm7 → F7 chord transition

To move from Cm7 to F7;

  1. Lift your index finger from G string fret 3 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on A string fret 3.

10. F7 → Bb chord transition

To move from F7 to Bb;

  1. While playing F7, lift your pinky from A string fret 3.
  2. Keep index finger on E string fret 1.
  3. Lift your middle finger from G string fret 2 and place it on C string fret 2.
  4. Slide your ring finger from C string fret 3 to G string fret 3.

11. Eb → Ebm chord transition

To move from Eb to Ebm;

  1. Keep index finger on A string fret 1.
  2. Lift your ring finger from C string fret 3 and place it on G string fret 3.
  3. Slide your pinky from E string fret 3 to C string fret 3.
  4. Place middle finger on E string fret 2.

12. Ebm → Bb chord transition

To move from Ebm to Bb;

  1. While playing Ebm, lift your pinky from C string fret 3.
  2. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  3. Slide your middle finger from E string fret 2 to C string fret 2.
  4. Keep ring finger on G string fret 3.

13. C7 → F7 chord transition

To move from C7 to F7;

  1. Lift your index finger from A string fret 1 and place it on E string fret 1.
  2. Place middle finger on G string fret 2.
  3. Place ring finger on C string fret 3.
  4. Place pinky on A string fret 3.

Slow Boat to China chord transition analysis

A short, data-driven summary of the chord flow in Slow Boat to China.

  • Slow Boat to China includes 29 chord transitions, 13 of them unique.
  • These transitions represent 0.01% of all chord transitions in Ukulelearn.
  • These transition patterns show how Slow Boat to China connects to the rest of Ukulelearn. Mastering them helps you move to similar songs faster.
    After Bb, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are F (34%), C (20%), and Dm (9%).
    • Bb → G7: 1%
    • Bb → D7: 1%
    After G7, the most likely next chords across Ukulelearn are C (69%), C7 (5%), and F (5%).
    • G7 → C7: 5%
    • G7 → Eb: 0%
SONG DATA3 Chords, 200 Chains, 1 BookThe 200 most popular three-chord chains extracted from real songs. See which songs use each chain, learn the finger transitions, and expand your repertoire with patterns that actually matter.