Ruby My Dear in Re
Ruby My Dear in Re
Monk's tender ballad draws Lydian brightness and Dorian warmth through an unconventional harmonic sequence built on a D center. Bebop Major lines integrate smoothly when navigating the piece's characteristic unexpected voice movements. The DMaj7 – CMaj7 – Bm7 – A#Maj7 – Am7 – D7 – Gm7 – C7 – F#m7 – B7 – Fm7 – A#7 – Em7 – A7 – Dm7 – G7 – D#Maj7 – Em7b5 – A7b9 changes deepen a player's sensitivity to chromatic harmony and Monk's idiosyncratic compositional logic.
Ruby My Dear in Re
D major is one of guitar's most resonant keys. The open D string acts as a droning root, and the open A string provides the fifth. This gives D-based strumming a wide, ringing quality that flatpicks and fingerpicks love. D is a beginner-level key on guitar because the open D and A strings provide a powerful bass foundation, and the open high E is the 2nd scale degree adding brightness. Beginners will find this key approachable since most chords use open voicings with minimal stretching.
Voice Leading
The bass line moves through D to C (descending whole step), C to B (descending half step), B to A# (descending half step), 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 F# (ascending tritone), F# to B (ascending perfect fourth), B to F (ascending tritone), F to A# (ascending perfect fourth), A# to E (ascending tritone), E to A (ascending perfect fourth), A to D (ascending perfect fourth), D to G (ascending perfect fourth), G to D# (descending major third), D# to E (ascending half step), E to A (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 A to D by perfect fourth.
Scales for Improvisation
D 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, D Mixolydian adds the flat seventh for an authentic blues-rock edge.