Chord Tones: Targeting The 7th
In the previous lesson we explored a number or drills which targeted the 3rd of each chord in the A Section of the tune “Misty”. In this lesson we will repeat the same drills but this time targeting the 7th of each chord.
The 3rds and 7ths are the most important tones which define the harmony and so when we target these notes from a melodic standpoint it keeps our improvised melodies in sync with the underlying harmony.
Later in this course we will repeat these exercises for other tones such as the chord extensions and chord alterations. For now we will focus on the 3rds and 7ths as these tones are the foundation of the harmony.
Diatonic & Chromatic Approach Patterns
Just like the last lesson we will create diatonic and chromatic approach patterns to help us to visualise the 7th as a strong landing point that we can use when improvising.
- Approach from above diatonically (2 scale degrees)
- Approach from above chromatically (2 half steps)
- Approach from below diatonically (2 scale degrees)
- Approach from below chromatically (2 half steps)
- Enclosure around the 7th
What we have covered in these first 2 lessons will create strong foundations for exploring the upcoming improvisational concepts and principles.
In the next lessons we will discover how the original melody can be used as inspiration for our solos and we will start to incorporate arpeggio runs and patterns which are an important component of cocktail piano improvisation technique.
Lesson Downloads
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Targeting The 7ths Notation File Type: pdf
Related Lessons
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Practice Tips
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These drills take time and patience to master. Remember to start slowly and gradually increase the tempo.
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For an extra challenge play the root notes as low on the piano as possible to expand your field of vision.
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Ensure that you can complete these drills comfortably and it will act as the glue that holds together the other improvisational building blocks.
Hi Hayden. The notation has same page for 3 and 4. Is there a page different 4 that cover items in last ~4min with enclosures?
Hi Rick,
Thanks for letting me know about this. Indeed the 4th page was duplicated by mistake.
I have corrected the file and re-uploaded the PDF, so please download it again and you will see the correct notation for page 4. Thanks again for bringing this to my attention.
A new improv course is coming shortly on the tune “The Nearness Of You” – more updates to follow.
Cheers,
Hayden
Hayden, You are right about this being very difficult at first! I had been practicing rootless voicing from your website (and others) for months before trying this and the previous exercise, but it still was tough for the left hand coordination.
I come from a classical piano background, so I know all the standard major and minor scales pretty well. Despite this it was a struggle at first to identify the 3rds and 7ths as fast as I needed to in order to play the exercise even slowly. I also got the 3rds and 7ths mixed up sometimes! Thanks for playing through the exercises as an example. It really helps to have a reference that you can watch at 50 per cent speed.
At the moment, I am taking it on faith that the exercises will help me with improvisation in future.
Hi Bruce,
Yes these exercises are very difficult to begin with, so do persevere.
The 3rds and 7ths are the ‘resolution point’ or ‘landing points’ that make our improvisation in sync with the underlying harmony. If we simply run scales up and down it will not sound musical and it will not sound in-sync with the underlying harmony.
I am in the process of creating some up-tempo improvisation courses over jazz standards such as Autumn Leaves, There Will Never Be Another You, Have You Met Miss Jones, and other faster tempo songs that are commonly performed at jazz jam sessions. Targeting 3rds and 7ths is equally, if not more important, in faster styles of jazz improvisation.
I recently hosted a seminar on “Bebop Enclosures & Approach Patterns” … you can find it here: https://www.pianogroove.com/live-seminars/bebop-enclosures-approach-patterns/ – this seminar covers similar material in terms of targeting chord tones, and the essential role that chord tones play in improvised melodies and improvised solos.
Please check out that seminar at your convenience and it will further solidify the principles in this course.
As mentioned I have more improvisation lessons in the pipeline, so keep an eye in the community area for updates.
If you do have any questions with the material please don’t hesitate to get in touch.
Best,
Hayden
Hi Hayden,
I am still working on exercises 3.1 and 3.2. How well should I be able to play these exercises before moving on to the next lessons in the course?
Bruce
How fast do you need to be on these drills before moving on? I have been practicing them 3-4 times a week for months. They have improved, but I am still slow and still hesitate sometimes. Very frustrating!
Hi Bruce,
Firstly, it’s natural to find these drills difficult and challenging to start with. It is a slow process, particularly for the first song/jazz standard where you apply these drills, and so it’s natural to hesitate from time to time.
Did you check out my new course on Autumn Leaves Improvisation?
You can find the link here: https://www.pianogroove.com/improvisation-courses/autumn-leaves-improv-masterclass/
I think it would be nice for you to simultaneously work on these lessons which cover the same material (chord tone targeting, enclosures, approach patterns, and arpeggios) but at medium tempo with a backing track.
The harmony of “Autumn Leaves” is much more repetitive than “Misty”.
For Autumn Leaves, almost the whole form is the repeating 251s in Bb Major and in G Minor, and so there is less variety in the harmony which helps to make your practice time more focused and to see good results quicker.
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Another reason that I suggest the Autumn Leaves Improv course, is that we are playing at a medium tempo with a backing track.
This greatly simplifies the ‘roles’ that we need to play (compared to when playing solo piano such as this Misty course).
When playing with a backing track, we only need to play rootless voicings in our left hand which voice lead very smoothly with minimal hand movement, and also the backing track ‘keeps the time’ for us.
In this Misty course, the left hand is playing a stride pattern (bass and rootless voicings), and we’re also responsible for creating the pulse/time via our stride pattern. On top of this we then have to add the enclosure and approach patterns. This is very much like ‘juggling 3 balls’ as we are performing all of these tasks simultaneously.
I think that you will find the Autumn Leaves course more accessible in that sense.
My recommendation is to take a little break from the “Misty” chord tone drills, or just reduce your pratcice time on these drills, and start working on the Autumn Leaves chord tone drills.
All of the work and practice that you have done in this course will benefit you in the Autumn Leaves course, so it’s certainly been a useful endeavour.
The more tunes that you complete these drills on, the easier the process becomes. So get started with the Autumn Leaves improv drills, and keep me posted on how you find that in the Comments of those lessons.
I think that you will be surprised with how much easier it is for Autumn Leaves now that you already have some experience with these drills, and of course also playing with the backing track should free up some ‘mental bandwidth’ to really focus on the right hand.
Let me know if that helps and if you have any additional questions.
Cheers,
Hayden