How High The Moon in La

How High The Moon in La

How High The Moon in A — the bebop standard that spawned "Ornithology," with ii-V-I patterns cycling through contrasting key centers. Bebop Major on the tonic, Dorian and Mixolydian through the modulatory passage. Changes: AMaj7 – Am7 – D7 – GMaj7 – Gm7 – C7 – FMaj7 – Bm7b5 – E7b9 – E7 – Bm7 – C#m7.

How High The Moon in La

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 unison), A to D (ascending perfect fourth), D to G (ascending perfect fourth), G to G (ascending unison), G to C (ascending perfect fourth), C to F (ascending perfect fourth), F to B (ascending tritone), B to E (ascending perfect fourth), E to E (ascending unison), E to B (descending perfect fourth), B to C# (ascending whole step). 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 C# to A by major third.

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.