Improvisation · Expert · 6 min
Enclosures
Approach each target from the note above and a half step below, then land on it.
How to play it
- Each group of three ends on a target: C sharp, F sharp, A and E.
- Play the note above, the note below, then the target. The target gets the accent.
- Try enclosing any chord tone in your own solos once this feels natural.
What the coach checks: Pitch of each note in order.
Tab player
Hear the line
Tap any number to hear it. Four clicks count you in.
100% is the goal tempo, 100 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 100 BPM or faster and the required accuracy. Slower Play attempts still produce practice scores.
Exercise map · 12 targets
- 1. D4Bar 1 · beat 1 · string 3 · fret 7
- 2. C4Bar 1 · beat 1.5 · string 3 · fret 5
- 3. C♯4Bar 1 · beat 2 · string 3 · fret 6
- 4. G4Bar 1 · beat 2.5 · string 2 · fret 8
- 5. F4Bar 1 · beat 3 · string 2 · fret 6
- 6. F♯4Bar 1 · beat 3.5 · string 2 · fret 7
- 7. A♯3Bar 1 · beat 4 · string 4 · fret 8
- 8. G♯3Bar 1 · beat 4.5 · string 4 · fret 6
- 9. A3Bar 2 · beat 1 · string 4 · fret 7
- 10. F4Bar 2 · beat 1.5 · string 2 · fret 6
- 11. D♯4Bar 2 · beat 2 · string 2 · fret 4
- 12. E4Bar 2 · beat 2.5 · string 2 · fret 5
Chord names and stroke directions are visual guidance. Rhythm scoring measures attack timing.
Play one note at a time.
Tune first. Audio stays on this device.
Why this drill
An enclosure surrounds a target note before playing it. It is the bebop move that makes lines sound like they know where they are going, and it carries straight over into blues, rock and fusion lines.
Common mistakes
Accenting the approach notes
Fix: Play the two approach notes lighter and give the target the accent and a touch of vibrato. The ear should hear the target as the arrival. Say the target's name as you play it.
Shifting position for every group
Fix: Each enclosure is three neighboring frets on one string: above, below, then the middle. Keep one finger per fret, for example fingers 1, 2 and 3 on frets 5, 6 and 7 of string 3 for C sharp.
Enclosing notes that are not chord tones
Fix: The move works because the target belongs to the chord. The four targets here, C sharp, F sharp, A and E, spell F sharp minor 7, the same notes as A6.
Tempo plan
100% is the goal tempo, 100 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.
- Learn 75 BPM · 75%Say "above, below, land" and hear the target as the resolution.
- Build 83 BPM · 83%Join the groups so the eighth notes run on with no gap between targets.
- Push 91 BPM · 91%Switch to Play · full check here. Two clean passes in a row earn the next rung.
- Goal 100 BPM · 100%Twelve eighth notes and four targets, each landed with the accent. A pass at 80% accuracy or better clears the drill.
- Stretch 110 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
In a solo, choose the chord tone you want to land on, then enclose it so it arrives with weight. Over an A major or F sharp minor chord all four targets here work as landing notes. Enclosing the chord's third as a new chord arrives is a classic bebop habit; try it with C sharp as A7 comes around in a blues.
Variation
Enclose from a scale step above and a half step below. In A major that puts B and G sharp around A, and F sharp and D sharp around E. The half step below keeps the pull into the target strong.