Just Friends in A
Just Friends in A
Just Friends in A: a swinging 32-bar form with brief tonicizations that test your ability to track key centers. Bebop Major handles the home key; Dorian and Mixolydian navigate the secondary dominant moves. Changes: DMaj7 – Dm7 – G7 – AMaj7 – Cm7 – F7 – Bm7 – E7 – C#m7 – F#m7 – B7 – D#7 – A6 – Em7 – A7.
Just Friends in A
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 D to D (ascending unison), D to G (ascending perfect fourth), G to A (ascending whole step), A to C (ascending minor third), C to F (ascending perfect fourth), F to B (ascending tritone), B to E (ascending perfect fourth), E to C# (descending minor third), C# to F# (ascending perfect fourth), F# to B (ascending perfect fourth), B to D# (ascending major third), D# to A (ascending tritone), A to E (descending perfect fourth), E to A (ascending perfect fourth). 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
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.