How High The Moon in E

How High The Moon in E

How High The Moon in E with chords EMaj7 – Em7 – A7 – DMaj7 – Dm7 – G7 – CMaj7 – F#m7b5 – B7b9 – B7 – F#m7 – G#m7. The bebop anthem whose descending key center movement provides an excellent vehicle for practicing bebop vocabulary through multiple keys in E.

How High The Moon in E

E major is arguably guitar's most powerful key. The open low E and high E strings ring sympathetically as the root, while the open B provides the fifth. This triple reinforcement gives E-based riffs and chords unmatched depth and volume. E is a beginner-level key on guitar because both the low E and high E strings ring as the root, and the open B is the fifth — three open strings reinforce the tonic chord. Beginners will find this key approachable since most chords use open voicings with minimal stretching.

Voice Leading

The bass line moves through E to E (ascending unison), E to A (ascending perfect fourth), A to D (ascending perfect fourth), D to D (ascending unison), D to G (ascending perfect fourth), G to C (ascending perfect fourth), C to F# (ascending tritone), F# to B (ascending perfect fourth), B to B (ascending unison), B to F# (descending perfect fourth), F# to G# (ascending whole step). 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 G# to E by major third.

Scales for Improvisation

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