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Look To The Sky in A
Look To The Sky in A — Antonio Carlos Jobim's bossa nova classic. Explore Bebop Major and Lydian scales over these sophisticated changes. Chords: Amaj9 – Am9 – Am6/9 – C#m7 – F#7b9 – Bm9 – G9sus – G7b9 – Cdim – E7b9 – Cmaj9 – A#maj9 – E13b9.
Look To The Sky 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 A (ascending unison), A to A (ascending unison), A to C# (ascending major third), C# to F# (ascending perfect fourth), F# to B (ascending perfect fourth), B to G (descending major third), G to G (ascending unison), G to C (ascending perfect fourth), C to E (ascending major third), E to C (descending major third), C to A# (descending whole step), A# to E (ascending tritone). 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 E to A by perfect fourth.
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.