Do Re MiC D E

Maze, The

Hancock Herbie4/4medium-swing

Chord Diagrams — Maze, The in A (Guitar)

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Maze, The in A

Key of 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 A to D (ascending perfect fourth), D to D (ascending unison), D to C (descending whole step), C to B (descending half step), B to A# (descending half step), A# to D (ascending major third), D to E (ascending whole step), E to A# (ascending tritone). A half-step bass movement creates a strong leading-tone pull that demands resolution. The predominantly stepwise bass motion creates smooth, connected voice leading. When the progression loops, the bass returns from A# to A by half step.

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.

medium-swing4/4 · 37 bars · Form: AB

Chords: Am7, D/E, Dm7, Cm7, Bm7♭5, A♯13, D7, E7♭9, A♯maj7.

Scales for Improvisation A bebop minor, A bebop.

Diatonic chords: See all chords in the key of A