Do Re MiC D E

Song For My Father

Silver Horace4/4latin
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F♯7sus4
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Chord Diagrams — Song For My Father in B (Guitar)

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Song For My Father in B

Song for My Father in B: Horace Silver's latin jazz classic is built on a Dorian vamp with a funky, insistent groove. Harmonic Minor sharpens the V7 cadences — Minor Pentatonic lines give improvisations a bluesy, soulful edge. Chords: Bm7 – A7 – G7 – F#7sus4 – F#7.

Key of B

B major mixes barre and open elements. The B chord itself is a barre at fret 2, but E and A are comfortable open chords forming the IV and V. The open B string rings as the root, allowing creative drone-based arrangements. B is a intermediate-level key on guitar because the open B string rings as the root and the open E strings provide the 4th — useful for sus4 voicings and drone effects. This key mixes open and barre shapes, making it a good intermediate challenge that builds fretboard fluency.

Voice Leading

The bass line moves through B to A (descending whole step), A to G (descending whole step), G to F# (descending half step), F# to F# (ascending unison). 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 F# to B by perfect fourth.

Scales for Improvisation

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

latin4/4 · 24 bars · Form: AB

Chords: Bm7, A7, G7, F♯7sus4, F♯7.

Scales for Improvisation B bebop minor, B bebop.

Diatonic chords: See all chords in the key of B