How to Solo Over Jazz Chords: Put Target Notes on the Beat (3 Concepts + Enclosures)

Short answer: Soloing over jazz chords comes down to playing certain notes, target notes (usually chord tones), on certain beats. Practice it in three steps: (1) keep one target note on the same beat while you add eighth notes in front of it, (2) move the target note to a different beat on purpose by adding more eighth notes, and (3) approach each chord tone with a chromatic enclosure (a half step above, a half step below, then the target). In bebop, chromatic notes are mostly a way of getting the chord tones onto the beats you want.

Being able to play target notes on certain beats is a key part of soloing. It's very hard to do under the time pressure of real improvisation, and it isn't obvious how to practice it. So in this lesson I give you three concepts to practice, then connect them to the dominant bebop pattern from my previous lesson. ▶ 0:00

Why chromaticism is about the beat, not the chord

For this lesson, assume your target notes are chord tones. They don't always have to be, but that's the first level. These concepts show you how bebop players really use chromaticism in their lines: it's not about analyzing each note against the chord. The chromatic notes are a way of getting the chord tones onto certain beats. ▶ 0:38

Concept 1: keep the target note on the same beat

The first example is over G7, with the root, G, as the target note, played with a loop at 120 bpm. The goal is to keep that G on beat 3. ▶ 1:18

1. Just the target. First, play the G on beat 3 and nothing else. You want to be able to play a note on a certain beat. ▶ 1:49
2. Add one eighth note before it. Count "1, 2, and 3" and play a note on the "and" of 2, landing on G on beat 3. ▶ 1:58
3. Add another eighth note. Here you have options. One is an enclosure: go above the target, then below it, then the target. On screen that's A♭, F♯, G. ▶ 2:10
4. Keep adding eighth notes until the line starts on beat 1, always landing on the G on beat 3. ▶ 2:30

How to practice it: take a standard you're working on, or a chord progression (a ii-V-I, or even a single static chord). Pick a target note, the root, 3rd, 5th or 7th, and keep it on one beat while you add eighth notes in front of it. It doesn't have to be beat 3. It could be beat 1 or beat 2, but keep the target on a downbeat for this exercise. ▶ 2:36

Concept 2: move the target note to a different beat

Now use these embellishments and extra notes to change which beat the target note lands on. I like to think of it as forcing the target note where you want it by adding more eighth notes. ▶ 3:00

This time the chord is C7 and the target is the 3rd, E. You always start on B♭ and always end on E, but you move the E around: ▶ 3:13

• Beat 2: the first version, with the E on beat 2. ▶ 3:42
• Beat 3: "1 and 2 and 3", with more eighth notes before the E. ▶ 3:56
• Beat 4: "1 and 2 and 3 and 4". ▶ 4:05
• Beat 1 of the next bar: keep adding notes until the E lands on the next downbeat. ▶ 4:12

How to practice it: pick a single target note (here, the 3rd), apply it over a jazz standard, and move the beat the target note falls on. You want to be able to do this deliberately. ▶ 4:28

Concept 3: a chromatic enclosure on every chord tone

The third concept takes one simple chromatic enclosure and applies it to each chord tone of C7: the root C, the 3rd E, the 5th G and the ♭7 B♭. Start a half step above the target, then a half step below, then the target note. ▶ 4:44

I really think you should visualize it as a shape on the fretboard, not as which note is above and which is below. That comes naturally as you practice and get more familiar with the chords. For now, just visualize the target note, like the C on the third fret, and what you're doing is isolating it. Then do the same for each of the other chord tones. ▶ 5:15

Bonus: three-note approaches with the bebop line

Next come some three-note approaches to the target notes, which you then connect to the dominant bebop pattern. Instead of just running one bebop scale, you add more chromaticism, stay around the chord tones and delay the resolution. All three are over C7: ▶ 6:07

Now the full line over C7 (C13): start with the descending line from C, what a lot of people call the bebop scale (C, B, B♭, A). That A connects you to the approach targeting G. From G you step to F, which starts the next approach, targeting E. Then the last three-note approach targets the root: D, D♭, B, C. ▶ 7:22

So each piece of the bebop line connects to a three-note approach, which connects to more of the line or another approach. It keeps the pattern going longer than it normally would. ▶ 8:05

Look at where the chord tones land: G on beat 4 of bar 1, E on beat 2 of bar 2 and C on beat 4 of bar 2, every one of them on a downbeat. ▶ 8:33

The free PDF for this lesson has the other positions of the dominant bebop pattern with these enclosures. It's a decent amount to practice, but even just this one shape gives you a good understanding of the concept: The REAL Way to Solo Over Jazz Chords (free PDF). ▶ 7:06

Frequently asked questions

What are target notes in jazz soloing?

Target notes are the notes you aim to land on at certain beats, usually chord tones (root, 3rd, 5th or 7th). A key part of soloing is being able to put them on the beats you choose.

How do I practice landing chord tones on the beat?

Pick one chord tone over a standard, a ii-V-I or one chord, and keep it on the same downbeat while you add eighth notes in front of it. Then move it to a different beat on purpose by adding more eighth notes.

What is a chromatic enclosure?

A short pattern that surrounds the target note: a half step above it, a half step below it, then the target. Over C7, the enclosure for G is A♭, F♯, G. Visualize it as a shape on the fretboard rather than thinking about each note.

Why do bebop players use chromatic notes?

In this approach, chromaticism isn't something you analyze against the chord. The chromatic notes are a way of getting the chord tones onto certain beats.

How do enclosures connect to the bebop scale?

Connect parts of the descending line (what a lot of people call the bebop scale) to three-note approaches. Over C7, that's C, B, B♭, A into A♭, F♯, G, then F, D, D♯, E, then D, D♭, B, C. It delays the resolution and keeps the line going longer.

Keep learning

• The dominant bebop scale on guitar: the C7 bebop pattern this lesson builds on, and why scales put the wrong notes on the beat
• The secret to bebop jazz guitar: chromatic approach patterns: more chromatic ways to target notes, from Pasquale Grasso and Charlie Parker
• Autumn Leaves practice routine for jazz guitar: put three-note enclosures to work over every chord of a real tune

Go deeper

Not sure what to work on next? Take the free Guitarist Profile quiz: 10 minutes, and you get your practice mindset, your strongest and weakest skills, and a 28-day plan. Find out what kind of jazz guitarist you are →

If you want me to guide you, that's what we do inside Chase's Guitar Academy. The curriculum tells you what to practice each day, and every week we work through a tune together in the live class. You can try it free for seven days.

"Now after a year, instead of being afraid of searching the next note like stepping on a minefield, I am looking to hear and play the next tone which gives me a feeling of self-assurance." Fred K., CGA member

50+ five-star reviews from CGA members, most of them on video: read what members say.

Chase Maddox is a jazz guitarist and educator in Miami and the founder of Chase's Guitar Academy. George Benson has called him "an amazing instructor." More free lessons are on his YouTube channel.