Theory
The first day that opens Month 3. For the past two months we've run the pentatonic freely up and down inside Box 1. But there's one thing we haven't tried yet — reacting at the moment the chord changes. A solo that just runs the pentatonic up and down and a solo that follows the changes sound completely different. What makes that difference is exactly one thing: the landing note. Instead of stopping the phrase just anywhere, you settle gently onto a tone of the chord ringing right now.
Today's chord is just A7. The 'home' of A7 is the root A. While A7 rings across the twelve-bar blues, place the end of your phrase on the root A and you feel the solo settle right onto the chord. There are several A's inside Box 1, and of them we'll take the handiest, string 4 fret 7, as today's landing spot. Besides the root, settling on chord tones like the 5th E or the b7 G also sits comfortably over A7.
The method is simpler than you'd think. Roll the pentatonic in Box 1 as usual, and at the end of the bar bring your finger to the root A. What matters is 'when you settle.' Too early and the chord hasn't fully rung yet; too late and you've already moved on to the next bar. Land on a strong beat, especially the first beat of the bar, and the chord comes through clearly. Today, over the single chord A7, get only the feel of landing on the root A into your hand. The chord changes start tomorrow — today, feel enough of that 'coming home' stability first.
▶ BPM 70. Roll the pentatonic and land on the root A (string 4 fret 7) at the end of the bar. The note shown in green is today's landing spot — the home of A7.
See it
Let's see on the map where the home of A7 sits inside Box 1. The string 4 fret 7 A glowing green is where today's phrase returns.
▶ The green A is today's home. The blue notes (5th E, b7 G) are chord tones of A7, so it's fine to land on them too.
Place the end of your phrase on this green spot while the chord rings, and the solo starts to follow the changes.
Today's practice
0–10 min · Warm-up BPM 70. Repeat the shortest landing: start on the 5th E and settle onto the root A.
▶ BPM 70. Ring the 5th E for a half beat and settle onto the root A (string 4 fret 7) for a half beat. Carve the 'coming home' feel into your hand.
10–20 min · Brain training (today's target = landing on the root A) Before real practice, close your eyes and find where the root A sits inside Box 1. Know the landing spot ahead of time and, whatever phrase you play, you can bring its end to A.
20–40 min · Real practice: an A7 landing phrase (BPM 70) Roll the pentatonic for two bars, then land the last note on the root A. Even with A7 as the only chord, just placing the end on A makes the sound clearer.
▶ BPM 70. Roll the pentatonic in bar 1, and land on the root A at the end of bar 2. Make the half beat crossing from the note just before (b3) to A especially clear.
However long the phrase, once its end touches the root A it sounds like sitting gently on top of A7.
40–50 min · Recording Record the landing phrase over an A7 backing (or a metronome). Check by ear that the end sits exactly on the root A.
Today's completion criteria: Over A7 you rolled a pentatonic phrase and then landed the end of the phrase clearly on the root A.
Common mistakes in landing over A7. Most come from the habit of 'leaving the end just anywhere.'
▶ Every phrase to the root A. The green A is the home to return to over A7. Once you open a phrase, always close it on A.
- Stopping on any note. If the end isn't A, the sense of following the chord blurs. Always bring the last note to the root A.
- Placing the landing on a weak beat. It has to sit on a strong beat, especially the first, for the chord to come through clearly.
- Brushing past A in a hurry. The landing note needs to ring for at least half a beat to feel like 'home.'
- Pushing the tempo first. Until the end sits exactly on A at BPM 70, going faster comes later.