Chord Tones Drills: Targeting The 3rd
In the first 2 lessons of this module we will explore a selection of chord tone drills to help us target the 3rds and 7ths. Whilst these exercises may appear to be simple, targeting the chord tones is an essential component of improvisation as we will see in the upcoming lessons.
Why Are Chord Tones Important?
Chord tones – particularly 3rds and 7ths – are ideal ‘landing places’ to finish our improvised lines. In addition these tones can be used as resting points which allows our improvisations to breath and also creates space in between our improvised phrases.
These drills and exercises will help you to visualise the chord tones from a melodic standpoint. We are going to perform these drills over a stride left hand style. The stride left hand will outline the harmony and also create a steady pulse over which we can improvise with our right hand melodies.
The 3 Types Of Approach Patterns
In this lesson we explore 3 types of approach patterns which can be used to target the 3rd of each chord in the A Section of “Misty”. The 3 types of approach pattern that we will cover are:
- Diatonic Approach Patterns
- Chromatic Approach Patterns
- Single & Double Note Enclosures
In the next lesson we will repeat the same drills but this time targeting the 7th of each chord.
Lesson Downloads
-
Targeting 3rds Notation File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
In this masterclass we look at using chord tones rather than scales as the basis for creating improvised lines.
We are going to combine out knowledge of chord tone soloing with approach patterns, enclosures, and non-diatonic passing tones.
Chord tone soloing is the process of creating improvised lines predominantly or exclusively with the primary tones of the chord.
Practice Tips
-
Complete these drills at a slow tempo, focus on accuracy, and keep a steady pulse in the left hand.
-
Start with the diatonic approach from above and once this drill can be performed accurately move onto the next drills.
-
Once each drill can be performed accurately, begin to mix and match the approach patterns as you cycle around the A Section of the tune.
Hi Hayden, I don’t understand the minor scales you are using in this exercise. You play WHWWWHW, but I understood the natural minor harmonic is WHWWHWW, the harmonic minor is WHWWHWH, and melodic minor is WHWWWWH. So what scale are you exactly playing in this exercise?
Hi Henk,
Good question.
I am using the Dorian Mode which is the 2nd mode of the major scale. This is the most common scale/mode to use when improvising over minor chords.
The 2 ways to view this mode are:
For example, to play the Bb Dorian Mode, I could visualise the Bb major scale, with the flat 3 (Db) and the b7 (Ab).
The other method is to think of the major scale of the Imaj7 chord, for example, Bb-7 is the ii-7 chord in the 251 in Ab Major, and so the Bb Dorian mode contains the exact same notes as the Ab major scale but starting and ending on Bb. This is known as ‘the parent scale approach’.
Both of these methods work.
You might like to check out this foundation course lesson where we cover exercises to learn the Dorian mode and other important theory in all 12 keys: https://www.pianogroove.com/jazz-piano-lessons/essentials-practice-guide-simplified/
I’d recommend running through this practice planner every other day and this will give you the ‘essentials’ needed to understand these improvisation lessons.
I am also adding some downloads to this course which will be ready soon and so I will add a PDF which has the scale choices.
Let me know if I can help further and enjoy the lessons!
Cheers, Hayden