Like Someone In Love in La#

Jimmy Van Heusen(1944)balladMedium Ballad

Like Someone In Love in La#

Like Someone in Love in A#: Van Heusen's accessible ballad rewards clean Bebop Major vocabulary and gentle Dorian color on the minor ii chords. Mixolydian smooths the dominant passages — an ideal standard for building bebop fluency. Chords: A#Maj7 – D#Maj7 – Cm7 – F7 – Fm7 – A#7 – Am7b5 – D7 – Gm7 – C7 – Dm7 – G7.

Like Someone In Love in La#

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 A# to D# (ascending perfect fourth), D# to C (descending minor third), C to F (ascending perfect fourth), F to F (ascending unison), F to A# (ascending perfect fourth), A# to A (descending half step), A to D (ascending perfect fourth), D to G (ascending perfect fourth), G to C (ascending perfect fourth), C to D (ascending whole step), D to G (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 G to A# by minor 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.

ballad4/4 · 22 bars · Form: ABAC

Chords: La♯Maj7, Re♯Maj7, Dom7, Fa7, Fam7, La♯7, Lam7♭5, Re7, Solm7, Do7, Rem7, Sol7.

Scales for Improvisation La# major, La# dorian, La# mixolydian, La# bebop major, La# major pentatonic.