La Flor de la Canela in F
La Flor de la Canela in F
Chabuca Granda compuso 'La Flor de la Canela' alrededor de 1950, dedicada a Victoria Angulo, una habitante del Rímac cuya gracia al caminar inspiró la canción. Es el vals criollo peruano más conocido en el mundo, símbolo de Lima colonial y del barrio de San Lorenzo junto al río Rímac. Plácido Domingo, Julio Iglesias y decenas de artistas la han llevado a escenarios internacionales.
La Flor de la Canela in F
F major is the gateway to barre chords. While F itself requires a full barre at fret 1, the remaining diatonic chords (C, Dm, Am, G, Bb) mix open and barre shapes. The open high E acts as Fmaj7's seventh, adding unexpected richness. F is a intermediate-level key on guitar because the open high E string is the major seventh of F, creating a lush Fmaj7 resonance even in basic shapes, but the F barre chord itself is the first big hurdle for beginners. This key mixes open and barre shapes, making it a good intermediate challenge that builds fretboard fluency.
Voice Leading
The bass line moves through F to C (descending perfect fourth), C to A# (descending whole step), A# to G (descending minor third), G to D (descending perfect fourth). 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 D to F by minor third.
Scales for Improvisation
F 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, F Mixolydian adds the flat seventh for an authentic blues-rock edge.