Someday My Prince Will Come in A
Someday My Prince Will Come in A
Someday My Prince Will Come in A: the Disney waltz transformed into jazz's definitive 3/4 standard, popularized by Miles Davis. Bebop Major navigates the flowing triple meter; Dorian and Mixolydian color the secondary ii-V moments. Changes: AMaj7 – C#7#5 – DMaj7 – F#7#5 – Bm7 – B7 – E7 – C#m7 – Cdim – Em7 – A7 – D – D#dim – Bm7/f – A.
Someday My Prince Will Come in 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 C# (ascending major third), C# to D (ascending half step), D to F# (ascending major third), F# to B (ascending perfect fourth), B to B (ascending unison), B to E (ascending perfect fourth), E to C# (descending minor third), C# to C (descending half step), C to E (ascending major third), E to A (ascending perfect fourth), A to D (ascending perfect fourth), D to D# (ascending half step), D# to B (descending major third), B to A (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 A to A by unison.
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.