Satin Doll in La

Satin Doll in La

A Satin Doll: Ellington's chain of ii-V pairs moving through multiple key areas in a single phrase. Dorian over the iim7 chords, Mixolydian over the dominants — textbook bebop vocabulary. Changes: Bm7 – E7 – C#m7 – F#7 – F#m7 – B7 – Fm7 – A#7 – AMaj7 – Em7 – A7 – DMaj7.

Satin Doll in La

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 B to E (ascending perfect fourth), E to C# (descending minor third), C# to F# (ascending perfect fourth), F# to F# (ascending unison), F# to B (ascending perfect fourth), B to F (ascending tritone), F to A# (ascending perfect fourth), A# to A (descending half step), A to E (descending perfect fourth), E to A (ascending perfect fourth), A to D (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 D to B 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.