Mas Que Nada in E

Mas Que Nada in E

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 E

E major is arguably guitar's most powerful key. The open low E and high E strings ring sympathetically as the root, while the open B provides the fifth. This triple reinforcement gives E-based riffs and chords unmatched depth and volume. E is a beginner-level key on guitar because both the low E and high E strings ring as the root, and the open B is the fifth — three open strings reinforce the tonic chord. Beginners will find this key approachable since most chords use open voicings with minimal stretching.

Voice Leading

The bass line moves through E to A (ascending perfect fourth), A to B (ascending whole step), B to C (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 C to E by major third.

Scales for Improvisation

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