• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Theory in 300
  • Bass Essentials Series
  • Lessons and Tips
  • Interviews
  • Gear Guides

Smart Bass Guitar

Opinion and Analysis in Bass Guitar

Theory in 300: Target Notes

Last Updated: August 21, 2022 by Mike Emiliani

When soloing whether as part of a jazz ensemble or otherwise, it’s likely that underneath your solo there will be chords changing. What really helps to take an average solo and really make it sound like it fits within the song and among the changes is making sure your solo lands on certain notes at certain times. Those notes can be thought of as target notes.

Target notes are the notes in a solo that match up with one of the chord tone notes of a chord happening during a solo.

Target notes help to make your solos sound like they fit the changing chords going on as you solo. It’s making a deliberate point to work your solo into the chords as they come at your rather than playing through them. Your solo, all things considered, may still sound fine even if you aren’t lining up with the chord changes as they happen, but a noticeable difference can happen when you work your solo to make sure it hits certain notes when certain chords come on.

Here’s an example. Let’s say we’re soloing in the key of C (and if you’re having trouble remembering your keys, here’s the Theory in 300 segment on the Circle of 5ths) and the chord changes look like this:

target-notes-bass-guitar-example-smart-bass

Now take a moment and devise a solo to go over those chords. Solo as freely as you see fit.

Now as you play, you might notice that as you move from one chord to the other, the first note one the downbeat of one, the same musical spot that in this example the chord is landing may or may not sound ‘entirely right’. Of course, in this context, right is relative. If you’re soloing in the same key or a modal key you’ll be ‘correct’ in your solo. But making sure you’re landing on those notes that align with the chord changes is how you can make your solo sound like it fits more in line with the passing changes rather than just playing as the chords pass underneath you.

Here are some exercises and attached audio files. Select and image, right click and hit Save As to save each image for your personal use.

Create a solo of your own that plays with these chord changes. Experiment with landing on notes that match the one of the passing chord tones and and experiment with solos that don’t land on a chord tone:

target-notes-bass-guitar-example-2--smart-bass

 

target-notes-bass-guitar-example-3-smart-bass

 

target-notes-bass-guitar-example-4-smart-bass

Check out other articles from the Theory in 300 Series

  • Author
  • Recent Posts
Follow Mike
Mike Emiliani
Mike Emiliani is the founder of Smart Bass Guitar. When he's not writing, he can be found playing bass, producing music, studying business and watching basketball.
Follow Mike
Latest posts by Mike Emiliani (see all)
  • How to Set up a Pedal Board for Bassists - June 16, 2021
  • The Best Bass Guitar Effects Pedals Guide You’ll Ever See [INFOGRAPHIC] - April 24, 2020
  • The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Everything About Bass Guitar Strings - March 20, 2020

Filed Under: Theory in 300 Tagged With: bass guitar solo, how to play target notes, how to solo bass guitar, smart bass guitar theory in 300, target notes jazz, theory in 300, what are target notes

Primary Sidebar

Welcome To Smart Bass Guitar

Smart Bass Guitar is an online bass guitar blog & publication. Send all love, hate, and fan mail to [email protected]

This page may contain affiliate links. We earn a small commission on purchases you make through those.

Popular Posts

Bass Guitar Effects Pedals Guide

The Best Bass Guitar Effects Pedals Guide You’ll Ever See [INFOGRAPHIC]

beatles together

Broken Down: 10 Must-Know Paul McCartney Bass Lines

The Alberto Rigoni Interview: “My Rule is…There Is No Rule in Music”

practicing music

Practice Routine: Quality Over Quantity

massive attack

9 Easy Bass Lines for Beginners You Won’t Find in a Book

Join The Conversation

  • Preston Zwanzig on I’m Rudy Sarzo and This is How I Play
  • Skwid Wurd on Broken Down: 10 Must-Know Paul McCartney Bass Lines
  • Nick on The Best Bass Guitar Effects Pedals Guide You’ll Ever See [INFOGRAPHIC]
  • Jeff Dahlin on The Ultimate Beginner’s Guide to Everything About Bass Guitar Strings
  • Tony Casas on The Best Bass Guitar Effects Pedals Guide You’ll Ever See [INFOGRAPHIC]
effect pedal guide for bass resource
practice routine for bass guitar
bass guitar strings guide

Footer

Search

Disclaimer

We are a participant in the Amazon Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Say Hi!

Love the new re-design? Hate the new re-design? Got some general questions about bass guitar? Shoot me a line at [email protected].

Copyright © 2023 ยท Magazine Pro on Genesis Framework