Targeting chord tones
· First steps · Level 3 · 20 min
Pentatonics are comfortable, but they ignore the chords. For your solo to "tell" the progression, you need to target chord tones on the strong beats (beats 1 and 3) and use the other scale notes as connectors. Every great melodist does this, from Mozart to Stevie Wonder.
The targets
| Chord | Chord tones |
|---|---|
| C | C – E – G |
| G | G – B – D |
| Am | A – C – E |
| F | F – A – C |
Step 1: find a line of target notes, one per chord, moving as little as possible (voice leading).
M:4/4 L:1/4 Q:1/4=90 K:C "C" E4 | "G" D4 | "Am" C4 | "F" C4 |]
Step 2: decorate this line. Chord tones fall on the beats; passing notes (non-chord tones) connect the targets between the beats.
M:4/4 L:1/8 Q:1/4=90 K:C "C" E F G E D2 C D | "G" D2 B,2 C D E F | "Am" E2 C2 A,2 B, C | "F" C4 A,4 |]
Look at the downbeat of each bar: E (over C), D (over G), E (over Am), C (over F). All chord tones. The F, B and other passing notes fall between the beats and slide towards the next target.
Step-by-step exercise
- Start the pop backing in C. Left hand: the root of each chord.
- Right hand: play only whole notes on chord tones. Look for the smoothest line.
- Move to half notes: two chord tones per bar.
- Move to eighth notes: chord tones on the beats, any scale note between them.
- Challenge: land on the third of each chord on beat 1 (E, B, C, A). That's the note that says "major" or "minor".
- Repeat in G major over the ballad backing in G (G – D – Em – C).
Look ahead. During the current bar, already think of the next bar's target. The last two or three notes of the bar should lead you there like a ramp.
Common mistake: dwelling on a non-chord tone (say a long F over a C chord). It isn't forbidden, but it creates tension that needs resolving: let the F step down to E.