Stormy Weather in La

Stormy Weather in La

Harold Arlen's torch-song standard blends blues and jazz harmony, drawing Dorian and Blues language into a deeply expressive A setting. Bebop Major lines add forward motion and brightness against the inherently dark emotional weight. Work through the AMaj7 – A#dim7 – Bm7 – E7 – A7 – DMaj7 – Bm7b5 – F#m7 – B7 changes to develop seamless transition between blues intensity and swinging forward drive.

Stormy Weather 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 A to A# (ascending half step), A# to B (ascending half step), B to E (ascending perfect fourth), E to A (ascending perfect fourth), A to D (ascending perfect fourth), D to B (descending minor third), B to F# (descending perfect fourth), F# to B (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 B to A by whole step.

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.