Blue Monk Walking Bass Line (simple changes)
Blue Monk is a 12 bar Bb blues written by the great Thelonious Monk around 1954. This tune was one of Monk’s favorites, and is also a favorite at jam sessions.
In the original version, Monk used a Bb triad (rather than a dominant chord) in the first, third, and fourth measures. It is common practice to play the Bb as a dominant chord, and the charts on this website reflect that.
On measure 9 and 10, Monk simply uses an F7 chord, which is the dominant. Some people will substitute Cm7 in measure 9 to create a ii V7 on solos, but the original stayed stagnant in measures 9 and 10.
For this exercise, you can play the bass line, to get a sense of the chord progression. The bass line has been transposed to all the different instrument keys.
You can also find the Blue Monk chord chart on this website and the lead sheet published to Sheet Music Direct.
