Sur in A

Sur in A

Aníbal Troilo y Homero Manzi compusieron 'Sur' en 1948 en una noche de desvelo; es el tango de los barrios del sur de Buenos Aires —San Telmo, La Boca, Barracas— y de todo lo que quedó atrás. 'Sur, paredón y después... / Sur, una luz de almacén.' Pocos versos en toda la poesía argentina capturan tanto con tan poco. El Dm oscila entre A7 y Gm con la inmutabilidad del barrio que no cambia; el puente en F mayor es la luz del almacén que Manzi describió.

Sur 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 E (descending perfect fourth), E to D (descending whole step), D to C (descending whole step), C to G (descending perfect fourth), G to F (descending whole step). The predominantly stepwise bass motion creates smooth, connected voice leading. When the progression loops, the bass returns from F to A by major third.

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.