Part 6: Let chords guide your first solo · Lesson 055 / 117
Connect two chord-tone phrases
Join a C bar to an F bar while keeping the rhythm simple.
Use C for one bar and F for the next. Over C, play E–G–E with durations 1, 1, 2. Over F, play A–C–A with the same durations.
You have preserved the rhythmic idea while changing the notes to fit the harmony. E and A are the respective thirds; G and C are the respective fifths. That makes the second bar an answer built from a related idea.
Learn each bar separately. Clap the common rhythm, find the three pitches for one bar, and only then join the chord change. A small pause between practice attempts is fine; inside a completed take, keep both bars at four beats.
Do not yet add passing notes. The next study will show how to connect destinations, but first make the two clear outlines familiar.
Hear it
Two Chord Phrase
Audio fileFour-beat count-in · 60 BPM · Warm sampled electric guitar. Listen once before playing along.
A concrete example
C bar: E(1), G(1), E(2). F bar: A(1), C(1), A(2). Both use third–fifth–third relative to their current chord.
Try it, slowly
- Clap one bar of 1+1+2 beats.
- Practise the C phrase, then the F phrase.
- Join the two with the backing and explain the shared rhythmic and chord-role pattern.
Check one idea
Which pattern stayed the same even though the actual note names changed?
Show the explanation
The 1+1+2 rhythm and the chord-role sequence third–fifth–third. The second bar adapted that pattern to F major.
A good place to stop
You can join the two bars without learning a new rhythm at the chord change.
Return to the example after a short break. A clear explanation matters more than speed.