Standards
Blue Silver chords & key
- Key
- E♭ minor
- Form
- ABA
- Bars
- 32
- Groove
- Medium swing
- Time signature
- 4/4
“Blue Silver” is a jazz standard by Horace Silver. It is usually played in E♭ minor as a medium swing, and the 32-bar ABA form has 3 sections. Harmonically it contains 3 major ii–V–I cadences and 2 minor ii–V–i, uses 19 different chords and moves between the key centres B major, G♯ minor, E♭ minor and G major.
Chord changes
Showing in: Concert (C) — E♭ minor
Changes as commonly played (concert pitch). Your band's version may differ.
Harmonic analysis
Most used chords
- E♭m11×10
- Fm7♭5×6
- B♭7♭9×3
- G♭13×3
- A♭13×3
- B♭7♯5×3
Key centres reached by ii–V
B major, G♯ minor, E♭ minor and G major
Standards with similar changes
Similarity of the chord progression, independent of key.
Frequently asked questions
What key is Blue Silver in?
Blue Silver is usually played in E♭ minor. For B♭ instruments that is F minor, for E♭ instruments C minor.
Who wrote Blue Silver?
Blue Silver was written by Horace Silver.
What is the form of Blue Silver?
Blue Silver has 3 sections (ABA) with 32 bars in total.
How fast is Blue Silver played?
The usual groove is Medium swing.
What are the chord changes to Blue Silver?
The opening bars are Em11 | Ebm11 | Fm7b5/B | Db9. The full chart above can be transposed to any key.