Mas Que Nada in B

Mas Que Nada in B

Jorge Ben Jor compuso 'Mas Que Nada' en 1963 a los 20 años. Sergio Mendes & Brasil '66 la popularizaron mundialmente en 1966 y se convirtió en el himno del samba-pop brasileño. El ostinato Em7-Am7-B7 sobre ritmo de samba es pura alegría carioca: cuando arranca esa guitarra, el cuerpo no puede quedarse quieto. La versión de Black Eyed Peas con Sergio Mendes en 2006 demostró que es eterna.

Mas Que Nada 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 E (ascending perfect fourth), E to F# (ascending whole step), F# to G (ascending half step). 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 G to B by major third.

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.