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Improvisation · Advanced · 7 min

Land on the Chord Tone

Short blues phrases that resolve to the third of A7, D7 and E7.

How to play it
  1. Over A7, slide from C to C sharp, the third of A.
  2. Over D7, land on F sharp. Over E7, land on G sharp.
  3. Play each phrase, then improvise your own that ends on the same landing note.

What the coach checks: Pitch of each note in order.

Goal96 BPM · 80% accuracy
Your bestNo result yet
Rating–

Tab player

Hear the line

eBGDAE12

Tap any number to hear it. Four clicks count you in.

100% is the goal tempo, 96 BPM. The speed presets climb from Learn to Goal about 10% at a time, and the practice slider below uses the same scale. Build a full ladder to your goal

Your practice room

Find each note

Single-note pitch feedback. Practice waits for each note; Play checks the sequence at your chosen tempo. This does not assess chord quality or fret buzz.

This checkpoint needs 96 BPM or faster and the required accuracy. Slower Play attempts still produce practice scores.

Exercise map · 12 targets
  1. 1. C4Bar 1 · beat 1 · string 3 · fret 5
  2. 2. C♯4Bar 1 · beat 1.5 · string 3 · fret 6
  3. 3. E4Bar 1 · beat 2 · string 2 · fret 5
  4. 4. A4Bar 1 · beat 2.5 · string 1 · fret 5
  5. 5. G4Bar 1 · beat 3 · string 2 · fret 8
  6. 6. F♯4Bar 1 · beat 3.5 · string 2 · fret 7
  7. 7. D4Bar 1 · beat 4 · string 3 · fret 7
  8. 8. A3Bar 1 · beat 4.5 · string 4 · fret 7
  9. 9. E4Bar 2 · beat 1 · string 2 · fret 5
  10. 10. D4Bar 2 · beat 1.5 · string 3 · fret 7
  11. 11. B3Bar 2 · beat 2 · string 3 · fret 4
  12. 12. G♯3Bar 2 · beat 2.5 · string 4 · fret 6

Chord names and stroke directions are visual guidance. Rhythm scoring measures attack timing.

Target 1 of 12C4String 3 · fret 5

Play one note at a time.

Tune first. Audio stays on this device.

Why this drill

The minor pentatonic works over a blues, but phrases sound deliberate when they land on the chord of the moment. The major third of each chord is a strong landing because it names the chord's quality.

Common mistakes

  1. Staying on C over A7

    Fix: C is the blue note, and its pull up to C sharp is what sounds like the blues. Slide from string 3 fret 5 to fret 6 and let the C sharp sit.

  2. Missing G sharp over E7

    Fix: G sharp, string 4 fret 6, is one fret above the G in the fifth-position pentatonic box. Over E7 take the half step up and land there.

  3. Playing one phrase over all three chords

    Fix: The landing note changes with the chord: C sharp over A7, F sharp over D7, G sharp over E7. Know which chord is coming a beat early. In a standard 12-bar blues, D7 arrives in bar 5 and E7 in bar 9.

Tempo plan

100% is the goal tempo, 96 BPM. Each rung sits about 10% above the one before it, so every step up is one you can hold. The speed presets in the player above use the same rungs.

  1. Learn 72 BPM · 75%Say the chord name, then aim for its third.
  2. Build 79 BPM · 82%Loop each four-note phrase on its own. The D7 phrase starts on G at string 2 fret 8, a reach up from the end of the A7 phrase.
  3. Push 87 BPM · 91%Switch to Play · full check here. Two clean passes in a row earn the next rung.
  4. Goal 96 BPM · 100%Twelve eighth notes over three chords, with all three thirds landed in tune. A pass at 80% accuracy or better clears the drill.
  5. Stretch 106 BPM · 110%Run a few passes here, then return to the goal. Time above the goal makes the goal feel settled.

Build a full ladder to your goal with holds and back-off sessions, starting from the tempo you can play today.

Make it music

A 12-bar blues in A uses A7, D7 and E7. Play your usual pentatonic phrases and change only the last note to the current chord's third, and every phrase sounds attached to the band. At the turnaround on E7, landing on G sharp pulls straight back to A for the next chorus.

Variation

Land on each chord's seventh instead: G over A7, C over D7 and D over E7. All three are already in A minor pentatonic, so they sit under your fingers.

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