Chan Chan in C

Chan Chan in C

Francisco Repilado, conocido como Compay Segundo, compuso 'Chan Chan' décadas antes de grabarla, pero fue el álbum Buena Vista Social Club (1997) el que la llevó al mundo entero. La película de Wim Wenders y el Grammy del disco convirtieron este son habanero en el emblema del renacimiento de la música cubana. Simple y profunda: I-IV-V sobre clave son los cimientos del son cubano.

Chan Chan in C

With no sharps or flats, C major is the theoretical home base on guitar. The open G, B, and high E strings all belong to the C major chord, creating natural sustain. C is a beginner-level key on guitar because the open B and high E strings ring within the scale, and every basic chord uses familiar open shapes. Beginners will find this key approachable since most chords use open voicings with minimal stretching.

Voice Leading

The bass line moves through C to F (ascending perfect fourth), F to G (ascending whole step), G to A (ascending whole step), A to D (ascending perfect fourth). The mix of stepwise and leap motion balances smoothness with harmonic drive. When the progression loops, the bass returns from D to C by whole step.

Scales for Improvisation

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