Ma Belle Hélène
Chord Diagrams — Ma Belle Hélène in F# (Guitar)
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Ma Belle Hélène in F#
Key of F#
F# major pushes guitarists into full barre territory at fret 2 and beyond. No open chords exist naturally, but the key rewards advanced players with dark, powerful voicings. Common in metal and progressive rock where low tunings bring it closer to standard pitch. F# is a intermediate-advanced-level key on guitar because the open B string is the 4th scale degree and the open high E is the minor 7th, both usable as color tones. Expect to rely on barre chords throughout, which builds hand strength and unlocks the entire fretboard.
Voice Leading
The bass line moves through D to A# (descending major third), A# to F# (descending major third), F# to D (descending major third), D to C# (descending half step), C# to A (descending major third), A to F (descending major third), F to C# (descending major third), C# to C (descending half step), C to E (ascending major third), E to G# (ascending major third), G# to F# (descending whole step), F# to C (ascending tritone), C to D# (ascending minor third), D# to B (descending major third), B to G (descending major third), G to D# (descending major third), D# to D (descending half step), D to A# (descending major third), A# to F# (descending major third), F# to C# (descending perfect fourth), C# to F (ascending major third), F to A (ascending major third), A to G (descending whole step), G to C# (ascending tritone), C# to E (ascending minor third), E to G# (ascending major third). 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 D by tritone.
Scales for Improvisation
F# 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. Layer in the full major scale for melodic runs, reserving the pentatonic for riff-based phrases.