Blue Train in Mi

John Coltrane(1957)swingMedium Swing
A

Chord Diagrams — Blue Train in Mi (Guitar)

Blue Train in Mi

Coltrane's hard-driving blues-bebop locomotive runs on Mixolydian and Blues language pushed to expressive extremes over a E foundation. The Bebop Major scale bridges inside and outside phrasing with authority and forward drive. The E7 – A7 – B7 changes are a cornerstone for developing blues-inflected bebop vocabulary at up tempos.

Blue Train in Mi

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 A (ascending perfect fourth), A to B (ascending whole step). The mix of stepwise and leap motion balances smoothness with harmonic drive. When the progression loops, the bass returns from B to E by perfect fourth.

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.

swing4/4 · 12 bars · Form: A

Chords: Mi7, La7, Si7.

Scales for Improvisation Mi major blues, Mi mixolydian, Mi minor pentatonic, Mi bebop major, Mi major pentatonic.