Inner Urge in A#

Inner Urge in A#

Joe Henderson's post-bop minor composition challenges soloists with Altered dominant tension and Lydian color against a searching A# minor center. The harmonic ambiguity rewards players willing to push beyond conventional minor vocabulary into genuinely exploratory territory. The Fmaj7#11 – Emaj7#11 – Dmaj7#11 – Cmaj7#11 – D#m7 – G#7 – C#m7 – Am7 – D7 – GMaj7 – A#m7 – D#7 – G#Maj7 – Cm7b5 – F7b9 changes develop command of altered harmony and the kind of harmonic courage Henderson embodied.

Inner Urge in A#

A# (Bb) major requires barre chords rooted at fret 1 on the A string or fret 6 on the E string. Despite the barre demands, it is a common key in funk, New Orleans R&B, and brass band music. The open D string can ring as the major third for added color. A# is a intermediate-level key on guitar because the open D string is the major 3rd of Bb, adding a bright color if allowed to ring. Expect to rely on barre chords throughout, which builds hand strength and unlocks the entire fretboard.

Voice Leading

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

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.