It Don't Mean A Thing in B

It Don't Mean A Thing in B

Ellington's iconic swing anthem with its driving minor groove and catchy doo-wah riff, one of the earliest and most enduring swing-era standards.

It Don't Mean A Thing in 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 G to G (ascending unison), G to G (ascending unison), G to G (ascending unison), G to D# (descending major third), D# to D (descending half step), D to C (descending whole step), C to F (ascending perfect fourth), F to A# (ascending perfect fourth), A# to A# (ascending unison), A# to A (descending half step), A to D (ascending perfect fourth). 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 D to G 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.