Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered in G#

Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered in G#

Bewitched in G# — 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: G# – Adim7 – A#m7 – Bdim7 – C7 – C#Maj7 – Ddim7 – A#7 – D#7 – F7 – A#m – Fm – Cm7 – F7#9.

Bewitched, Bothered And Bewildered in G#

G# major (or Ab) lives at fret 4 on the low E string. All chords require barre technique, making it less common in guitar-centric songwriting but standard in piano-driven pop. Guitarists often use a capo to access friendlier shapes. G# is a intermediate-advanced-level key on guitar because the open G string is a half step below the root, creating dissonance — avoid letting it ring. Expect to rely on barre chords throughout, which builds hand strength and unlocks the entire fretboard.

Voice Leading

The bass line moves through G# to A (ascending half step), 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 A# (descending major third), A# to D# (ascending perfect fourth), D# to F (ascending whole step), F to A# (ascending perfect fourth), A# to F (descending perfect fourth), F to C (descending perfect fourth), C to F (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 F to G# by minor third.

Scales for Improvisation

G# 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, G# Mixolydian adds the flat seventh for an authentic blues-rock edge.