Chord Tones
- Thread starter Silicon Valley Tom
- Start date
Scott 2.0
Blues Newbie
Good write up - and helps that I have some of the basics already in hand. Just a matter of practice, now. For more, Ian Stich puts out some good YouTube videos that lead to a chord tone approach. In particular his Blues Primer lessons - specifically Blues Tricks 1-4. I've been meaning to re-look at Griff's Blues Construction kit course to see if those riffs use a chord tone approach or are awesome riffs on their own.
Silicon Valley Tom
It makes me happpy to play The Blues!
I always enjoy good information about playing the guitar, and thank you for the name Ian Stich, whom I was not familiar with until your post. He has some information that is very interesting and informative.
Tom
Tom
leftymike01
Blues Newbie
Tom
Thank you for sharing some great information.
Leftymike
Thank you for sharing some great information.
Leftymike
tommytubetone
Great Lakes
Griff has a video on hitting target notes to introduce chord changes, but I can't remember where I saw it. Anyone know where that might be? It basically covers the same stuff but is much easier to digest.
tommytubetone
Great Lakes
This could be it, or one of them, but I don't have time to watch it right now. 
http://bluesguitarunleashed.com/blog/target-tones-for-the-iv-chord/
http://bluesguitarunleashed.com/blog/target-tones-for-the-iv-chord/
Jack
Blues Junior
I've been working on adding more chord tones into my soloing for a while now. With pentatonic minor you can just play over the whole thing and it sounds fine. With chord tones of course you have to keep track of exactly what chords you're playing over, when they change, what notes they contain and worst of all - try to make it sound good
Right now I'm working on writing something where the rhythm part is all minor 7th chords and I'm just using pentatonic minor and changing keys to match the chord I'm playing over, so the notes naturally match up that way. Still taking me forever and the thing I'm writing is so simple it's almost comical.
Right now I'm working on writing something where the rhythm part is all minor 7th chords and I'm just using pentatonic minor and changing keys to match the chord I'm playing over, so the notes naturally match up that way. Still taking me forever and the thing I'm writing is so simple it's almost comical.
OG_Blues
Guitar Geezer
Good stuff.
When first starting out to use this approach, it can be difficult to be making up and playing a solo line and also thinking ahead to what the next change is and what / where the target note is.
A good way to practice and approach this incrementally is to put on a slow blues backing track, and in each measure, ONLY play the 7th for the current chord, using some rhythm motif. Then do the same with the 3rd. Then do the same mixing the 7th and 3rd in each measure. Then do it again randomly using approach tones from above and below. At this point, it might actually start to sound somewhat musical. Always play some kind of rhythmic pattern while playing the notes.
This will really get you thinking in terms of the chord changes and where the target notes fall for each chord. It will then be easier and much more natural to work them into a solo because you aren't having to think about it as much.
You will also start to recognize where this is being used in some licks you already know but maybe didn't realize it as such.
Tom
When first starting out to use this approach, it can be difficult to be making up and playing a solo line and also thinking ahead to what the next change is and what / where the target note is.
A good way to practice and approach this incrementally is to put on a slow blues backing track, and in each measure, ONLY play the 7th for the current chord, using some rhythm motif. Then do the same with the 3rd. Then do the same mixing the 7th and 3rd in each measure. Then do it again randomly using approach tones from above and below. At this point, it might actually start to sound somewhat musical. Always play some kind of rhythmic pattern while playing the notes.
This will really get you thinking in terms of the chord changes and where the target notes fall for each chord. It will then be easier and much more natural to work them into a solo because you aren't having to think about it as much.
You will also start to recognize where this is being used in some licks you already know but maybe didn't realize it as such.
Tom
Jack
Blues Junior
That's some great advice, I'll definitely start working on it that way! Thanks Tom!
OG_Blues
Guitar Geezer
Killer Blues Solos Made Easy covers the topic, but I would not call it an in depth treatment of the subject.
Best thing to do is to grab one of the images of the guitar neck off the Internet somewhere, print out a bunch of copies, and then plot them out for a given key's chord progression all over the neck. Plotting every chord tone may be a bit overwhelming, so start with the subset that comprises the roots, 3rds and sevenths which are the most important target notes. Look for the patterns they make. Build off of that over time.
Often, doing this type of exercise for yourself will be more productive than just looking at a ready made chart someone else put together.
Tom
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Paleo
Student Of The Blues
I was going to suggest the same thing. It's geared to the chord tones in the Dom 7 chords of a blues progression. Griff introduces the minor, then Major "House Patterns" and discusses the best notes to target over each chord.
It's a great study, but specifically for the blues. And you get a nice B.B. style solo to go with it.
Also, anytime Griff discusses "chord soloing" would be of help, maybe the Little Wing Lesson?
But, as OG suggests, I don't think there's anywhere that Griff discusses it in general or at length.
It usually comes up when he's explaining where notes in a lick in one of his solos come from, i.e. you can't go wrong choosing a chord tone. Especially when the chord changes and you want to emphasize a note that characterizes that chord.
Try this as an aid. I made it using Neck Diagrams in A- for any other key just move it up or down the neck. A little explanation so you know how to read it:
Red dots are the roots. The black dots (including the open ones) are the pentatonic scale with the open ones being chord tones that are in the pentatonic scale (except for the 5 since that chord tone is usually not targeted). Blue dots are the blue notes. The green squares are chord tones not in the pentatonic scale.
Red dots are the roots. The black dots (including the open ones) are the pentatonic scale with the open ones being chord tones that are in the pentatonic scale (except for the 5 since that chord tone is usually not targeted). Blue dots are the blue notes. The green squares are chord tones not in the pentatonic scale.