Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered in E

Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered in E

Bewitched in E — 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: E – Fdim7 – F#m7 – Gdim7 – G#7 – AMaj7 – A#dim7 – F#7 – B7 – C#7 – F#m – C#m – G#m7 – C#7#9.

Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered in 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 F (ascending half step), F to F# (ascending half step), F# to G (ascending half step), G to G# (ascending half step), G# to A (ascending half step), A to A# (ascending half step), A# to F# (descending major third), F# to B (ascending perfect fourth), B to C# (ascending whole step), C# to F# (ascending perfect fourth), F# to C# (descending perfect fourth), C# to G# (descending perfect fourth), G# to C# (ascending perfect fourth). 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 C# to E by minor third.

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.