Maiden Voyage in B
Chord Diagrams — Maiden Voyage in B (Guitar)
Maiden Voyage in B
Herbie Hancock's modal masterpiece built entirely on suspended dominant chords, evoking the openness of the sea, a cornerstone of post-bop jazz.
Maiden Voyage 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 B to D (ascending minor third), D to C (descending whole step), C to A# (descending whole step). The predominantly stepwise bass motion creates smooth, connected voice leading. When the progression loops, the bass returns from A# to B by half step.
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.