Alice In Wonderland in Fa

Sammy Fain(1951)waltzMedium Waltz
A
A
B
A

Chord Diagrams — Alice In Wonderland in Fa (Guitar)

Alice In Wonderland in Fa

Alice In Wonderland in F: a jazz waltz that transforms the Disney source material into flowing 3/4 bebop. Lydian opens up the major sections; Bebop Major and Dorian navigate the ii-V passages with swing feel. Changes: Gm7 – C7 – FMaj7 – A#Maj7 – Em7b5 – A7 – Dm7 – G#7 – A#m7 – D#7 – G#Maj7 – C#Maj7 – Dm7b5 – G7 – Cm7 – F7.

Alice In Wonderland in Fa

F major is the gateway to barre chords. While F itself requires a full barre at fret 1, the remaining diatonic chords (C, Dm, Am, G, Bb) mix open and barre shapes. The open high E acts as Fmaj7's seventh, adding unexpected richness. F is a intermediate-level key on guitar because the open high E string is the major seventh of F, creating a lush Fmaj7 resonance even in basic shapes, but the F barre chord itself is the first big hurdle for beginners. This key mixes open and barre shapes, making it a good intermediate challenge that builds fretboard fluency.

Voice Leading

The bass line moves through G to C (ascending perfect fourth), C to F (ascending perfect fourth), F to A# (ascending perfect fourth), A# to E (ascending tritone), E to A (ascending perfect fourth), A to D (ascending perfect fourth), D to G# (ascending tritone), G# to A# (ascending whole step), A# to D# (ascending perfect fourth), D# to G# (ascending perfect fourth), G# to C# (ascending perfect fourth), C# to D (ascending half step), D to G (ascending perfect fourth), G to C (ascending perfect fourth), C to F (ascending perfect fourth). A half-step bass movement creates a strong leading-tone pull that demands resolution. The root motion by larger intervals (fourths and fifths) gives each chord change a strong, decisive character. When the progression loops, the bass returns from F to G by whole step.

Scales for Improvisation

F major pentatonic works because every note is either a chord tone or a safe passing tone — there are no avoid notes. For soloing, this means you can play freely without clashing. Over dominant seventh chords, F Mixolydian adds the flat seventh for an authentic blues-rock edge.