Improvisation & Solo Building
Target notes and approach notes
The single most useful technique in improvisation — choosing where to land and how to get there.
Pick a target. Approach it. Land.
The pro improviser’s mental loop, four words long:
Pick a target. Approach it. Land.
A target note is a strong chord tone of the current chord — usually the 3rd or 7th (the notes that most clearly define the chord’s quality). An approach is the way you arrive — usually by a half-step or whole-step from above or below.
This is how bebop players construct their solos in real time.
Plain-language version
Imagine speaking. You do not say every possible word as fast as possible. You choose an important word, lead into it, and pause. A good solo works the same way: choose an important note, move toward it, land clearly, then leave space.
Approach types
| Approach | Example (targeting C) | Sound |
|---|---|---|
| Diatonic above | D → C | Smooth, in-key |
| Diatonic below | B → C | Strong (leading-tone pull) |
| Chromatic above | C♯ → C | Edgy, bluesy |
| Chromatic below | B → C (same as leading) | Strong |
| Enclosure | D - B - C | Bebop staple |
| Double chromatic | B - C♯ - C? Or D - C♯ - C | More tension before resolving |
The enclosure (also called “surround”) is the bebop trademark: surround the target from above and below before landing. It works because it builds maximum suspense before resolving.
A worked example
You’re soloing over G7 (a dominant 7 with notes G B D F). Strong target notes: B (the 3) and F (the ♭7).
Target = B. Approach from above (C → B). The line might be:
A - C - B - G - F (rests)
Notice: lands on B on a strong beat, approached by C from above. Then continues to G (root), then F (the ♭7, another target), then rest.
Try the same idea targeting F instead:
G - A - G♭ - F - D (rests)
The G♭ is a chromatic approach to F. Tasty.
Do not start here too early
If the words 3rd, 7th, chord tone, or dominant 7 still feel confusing, go back to triads and seventh chords first. Improvisation becomes much easier when you know what notes are inside the chord underneath you.
Where to target
On any given chord beat 1, target a chord tone of that chord. Use the previous beat or two to approach it. The result: your solo “outlines” the chord changes without you ever consciously thinking about scales.
Over a ii-V-I in C:
- Dm7: target F or A on beat 1.
- G7: target B or F on beat 1.
- Cmaj7: target E or B on beat 1.
If you can do that — approach a target chord tone on every chord change — you sound like you’ve been playing jazz for ten years.
Try this
Open a slow ii-V-I backing track in C (or just chord-loop Dm7 - G7 - Cmaj7). Pick one target note for each chord (e.g. F → B → E across the three chords). On every chord change, land on that target on beat 1, approached by a chromatic or diatonic note from above or below on beat 4 of the previous bar.
Restrict yourself to just that — three target notes, three approaches. The rest of your bars can be silent.
It will sound surprisingly sophisticated. Now expand: add a phrase between targets. Vary the targets each chorus.
Beginner checkpoint
You understand this lesson when you can solo with only three planned landing notes. Do not judge the solo by speed. Judge it by whether your notes land with the chord instead of floating randomly over it.