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Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered in A
Bewitched in A — Rodgers & Hart's sophisticated ballad with chromatic voice leading and an expressive melodic arc. Bebop Major navigates the major tonic sections; Dorian and Mixolydian add texture through the ii-V moves. Changes: A – A#dim7 – Bm7 – Cdim7 – C#7 – DMaj7 – D#dim7 – B7 – E7 – F#7 – Bm – A7 – F#m – C#m7 – F#7#9 – D.
Key of A
A major is a rock and blues cornerstone. The open A string delivers a strong root, while both E strings ring as the fifth. Classic A-D-E progressions practically play themselves with open cowboy chords. The open high E is the fifth, reinforcing power. A is a beginner-level key on guitar because the open A string is the root and the open E strings provide the fifth above and below, creating a massive low-end anchor. Beginners will find this key approachable since most chords use open voicings with minimal stretching.
Voice Leading
The bass line moves through A to A# (ascending half step), A# to B (ascending half step), B to C (ascending half step), C to C# (ascending half step), C# to D (ascending half step), D to D# (ascending half step), D# to B (descending major third), B to E (ascending perfect fourth), E to F# (ascending whole step), F# to B (ascending perfect fourth), B to A (descending whole step), A to F# (descending minor third), F# to C# (descending perfect fourth), C# to F# (ascending perfect fourth), F# to D (descending major third). A half-step bass movement creates a strong leading-tone pull that demands resolution. The predominantly stepwise bass motion creates smooth, connected voice leading. When the progression loops, the bass returns from D to A by perfect fourth.
Scales for Improvisation
A 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, A Mixolydian adds the flat seventh for an authentic blues-rock edge.