Mas Que Nada in A

Mas Que Nada in A

Mas Que Nada in A: Jorge Ben Jor's minor samba. Apply Dorian and Harmonic Minor scales to navigate the modal harmony. Chords: Am7 – D9 – Dmaj7 – G9 – Emaj7 – E7#9 – E9 – E7b9 – E9sus – Cmaj9 – C6 – D7 – G.

Mas Que Nada 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 D (ascending perfect fourth), D to D (ascending unison), D to G (ascending perfect fourth), G to E (descending minor third), E to E (ascending unison), E to E (ascending unison), E to E (ascending unison), E to E (ascending unison), E to C (descending major third), C to C (ascending unison), C to D (ascending whole step), D to G (ascending perfect fourth). The predominantly stepwise bass motion creates smooth, connected voice leading. When the progression loops, the bass returns from G 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.