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Angel Eyes in E
Angel Eyes in E — a dark, brooding ballad with sustained minor tension. Dorian suits the extended minor vamp; Harmonic Minor tightens the cadential moments; blues inflections add emotional weight. Changes: Em7 – C7/c – Em6 – C9/c – Em9 – C#m7b5 – G13 – CMaj7 – B7b5 – F#m11 – F#7b9 – C9 – B7b9 – Em – F#m7 – B7 – B7#5 – Em/Bb – EmMaj7 – Dm9 – G7b9 – Cmaj9 – A7b9 – Fmaj9 – C#m9 – BMaj7 – Emaj9 – Fm7 – A#7#5.
Key of E
E major is arguably guitar's most powerful key. The open low E and high E strings ring sympathetically as the root, while the open B provides the fifth. This triple reinforcement gives E-based riffs and chords unmatched depth and volume. E is a beginner-level key on guitar because both the low E and high E strings ring as the root, and the open B is the fifth — three open strings reinforce the tonic chord. Beginners will find this key approachable since most chords use open voicings with minimal stretching.
Voice Leading
The bass line moves through E to C (descending major third), C to E (ascending major third), E to C (descending major third), C to E (ascending major third), E to C# (descending minor third), C# to G (ascending tritone), G to C (ascending perfect fourth), C to B (descending half step), B to F# (descending perfect fourth), F# to F# (ascending unison), F# to C (ascending tritone), C to B (descending half step), B to E (ascending perfect fourth), E to F# (ascending whole step), F# to B (ascending perfect fourth), B to B (ascending unison), B to E (ascending perfect fourth), E to E (ascending unison), E to D (descending whole step), D to G (ascending perfect fourth), G to C (ascending perfect fourth), C to A (descending minor third), A to F (descending major third), F to C# (descending major third), C# to B (descending whole step), B to E (ascending perfect fourth), E to F (ascending half step), F to A# (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 A# to E by tritone.
Scales for Improvisation
E 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, E Mixolydian adds the flat seventh for an authentic blues-rock edge.