Doralice in A

Humberto Porto / Antônio Almeida(1946)sambaSamba moderato
Do Re MiC D E
A
Instrument
GuitarUkuleleBassPiano
A
A
B
B
A
A7
D
Dm
A
E7
A
E7
A
A7
D
Dm
A
E7
A
E7
F♯m
C♯7
F♯m
B7
Bm
E7
A
E7
F♯m
C♯7
F♯m
B7
Bm
E7
A
E7

Chord Diagrams — Doralice in A (Guitar)

Doralice in A

Humberto Porto y Antônio Almeida compusieron 'Doralice' en 1946; João Gilberto la grabó en su debut en 1958 convirtiéndola en un clásico del repertorio bossanovista. La secuencia D-D7-G-Gm —el I que baja al V7/IV para llegar al IV y luego al iv— es el giro cadencial más elegante del samba carioca: una caída suave que ningún otro género latinoamericano resuelve con tanta gracia. El puente Bm-F#7 da el único instante de melancolía antes del regreso al sol del D.

Doralice 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 A (ascending unison), A to D (ascending perfect fourth), D to D (ascending unison), D to E (ascending whole step), E to F# (ascending whole step), F# to C# (descending perfect fourth), C# to B (descending whole step), B to B (ascending unison). The predominantly stepwise bass motion creates smooth, connected voice leading. When the progression loops, the bass returns from B 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.

samba4/4 · 32 bars · Form: AABB

Chords: A, A7, D, Dm, E7, F♯m, C♯7, B7, Bm.