My Favorite Things in E

My Favorite Things in E

My Favorite Things in E: Coltrane transformed Rodgers & Hammerstein's waltz into a modal exploration alternating Dorian and major sections. Harmonic Minor and Aeolian frame the minor parts — sustain the pedal tones and let the modes expand. Chords: C#m7 – D#m7 – AMaj7 – F#m7 – B7 – EMaj7 – D#m7b5 – G#7 – F#7 – E6.

My Favorite Things in E

E major is arguably guitar's most powerful key. The open low E and high E strings ring sympathetically as the root, while the open B provides the fifth. This triple reinforcement gives E-based riffs and chords unmatched depth and volume. E is a beginner-level key on guitar because both the low E and high E strings ring as the root, and the open B is the fifth — three open strings reinforce the tonic chord. Beginners will find this key approachable since most chords use open voicings with minimal stretching.

Voice Leading

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

Scales for Improvisation

E 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, E Mixolydian adds the flat seventh for an authentic blues-rock edge.