Everything But You in G

Duke Ellington(1945)swing
Do Re MiC D E
A
B

Chord Diagrams — Everything But You in G (Guitar)

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Everything But You in G

Key of G

G major is the singer-songwriter's key. The open G, B, and D strings spell out the full G major triad with zero fretting. Add the open high E for a Gadd6 shimmer. Nearly every diatonic chord (Em, Am, C, D) has a comfortable open voicing. G is a beginner-level key on guitar because the open G, B, and D strings form a complete G major triad without fretting a single note, and the open low E adds a rich 6th color. Beginners will find this key approachable since most chords use open voicings with minimal stretching.

Voice Leading

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

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.

swing4/4 · 25 bars · Form: AB

Chords: D7♭9, G, Em7, D7, A9, G7, F♯, C, A7, Am9.

Scales for Improvisation G bebop, G bebop major.

Diatonic chords: See all chords in the key of G