The Stumble | Chords
A-section
||: A7 | A7 | E7 (F#7 F7) | E7 |
| A7 | A7 | B7 | B7 |
| E N.C | E N.C | A N.C A N.C | F#/A# |
| B7 C#m7 | F#7 B7 | E7 A7 | E7 B7 :||
B-section
||: A7 | A7 | E7 (F7) | E7 |
| A7 | A7 | B7 | B7 |
| E7 | E7 | A7 | F#/A# |
| B7 C#m7 | F#7 B7 | E7 A7 | E7 B7 :||
A-section
||: A7 | A7 | E7 (F7) | E7 |
| A7 | A7 | B7 | B7 |
| E N.C | E N.C | A N.C A N.C | F#/A# |
1.
| B7 C#m7 | F#7 B7 | E7 A7 | E7 B7 :||
2.
| B7 C#m7 | F#7 B7 | E7 A7 | E7 |
The Stumble: Learn the Progressions That Power This Instrumental Blues Standard
Above, I’ve written the chords exactly as they appear in the tune. The structure works like this: repeat the first section, then move on to the second (which has no stops). The third section is similar to the first, but with a different final bar—so I’ve written that line out twice.
The tune opens in classic blues fashion by starting on chord IV, giving it instant momentum. Here’s the first half using Roman numerals:
||: A7 (IV) | A7 | E7 (I) (F#7 F7) | E7 |
| A7 | A7 | B7 (V) | B7 |
The F#7 and F7 act as chromatic movements leading back to chord I. There’s no need to label them with Roman numerals, but if we do, they would be IIx and bIIx. In the B-section, we can vary the chromatic approach by ignoring the F#7.
The second half feels more like a standard blues, moving from I to IV, before resolving through a turnaround:
| E (I) N.C | E N.C | A (IV) N.C A N.C | F#/A# (IIx/3) |
| B7 (V) C#m7 (VI) | F#7 (IIx) B7 (V) | E7 (I) A7 (IV) | E7 (I) B7 (V) :||
The only difference in the second section is that there are no stops. Since everything else is the same, we don’t need to write out the first section again in the chord chart.
The Stumble Chord Chart | PDF + iReal Pro
Download my chord chart as a PDF, or use the iReal Pro format if you’d like to play it in all 12 keys—with a backing track too! It’s a great way to practise improvising and comping across the fretboard.
Freddie King: The Fiercest of the Three Blues Kings
The youngest of the three Kings, The Texas Cannonball was born Frederick Christian King on September 3rd, 1934.
Although he was born in Texas, his family moved to Chicago while he was still young—so his style is a powerful mix of Texas and Chicago blues influences.
Freddie King’s tone and playing were more aggressive than those of Albert or B.B., and he pushed improvisation further too. This made him Eric Clapton’s favourite of the three Blues Kings.
Find out more about these players and their tunes by following the links above.
The Stumble Chords | Related Pages
Five similar tunes | Chords + Lyrics
