Theory
The last day of Week 9. Over three days we learned A7's home A, D7's home D, and how to go between them. Today we bring it all together and complete 'chord following,' landing while moving home every time the chord changes. No flashy fast runs, no hard scales needed. Move just one landing note when the chord changes, and the solo is already singing along with the chord.
Today's finished piece is two bars. Bar 1 lands on the root A over A7, and bar 2 lands on the root D over D7. The front part of both bars (the lead-in) is identical — passing the same b3, the same 5th. Only the final landing note changes, yet the chord change comes through vividly. This is the heart of 'chord following.' Your hand stays nearly put; only the home you aim at changes.
These two bars are today's finish line, and this week's. Slowly at BPM 75, sit on A at the end of bar 1, and on D at the end of bar 2. When the chord changes, home changes too — once this one sentence is carved into your hand, Week 9 is complete. The 'system' — the five boxes and modes that circle the whole fretboard — you don't learn now. You'll meet that on the next journey, solo_scale. For now, just two chords and just two homes are enough. This small completion becomes a solid starting point for every chord progression you'll meet ahead. Today, inside Box 1, we complete the ear and the hand that respond to the chord.
▶ BPM 75. Bar 1 passes the 5th E and lands on the root A; bar 2 passes the 5th E and lands on the root D. The lead-in is the same, only the landing note changes from A→D.
See it
Let's look together at the two homes you move between along the chords. Green A (string 4 fret 7) and green D (string 3 fret 7) sit side by side on neighboring strings.
▶ A for A7, D for D7. The lead-in (b3, 5th) is common to both bars; only the green home you aim at at the end gets swapped.
Going between these two green spots to match the chord — that is the 'chord following' you complete in Week 9.
Today's practice
0–10 min · Warm-up BPM 75. From A to D, repeat the move that swaps the two homes on the next string at the same fret.
▶ BPM 75. A (string 4 fret 7) for a half beat, D (string 3 fret 7) for a half beat — warm up the feel of moving home when the chord changes.
10–20 min · Brain training (today's target = moving home along the chords) Before real practice, picture in your head the landing note moving house from A to D in the order A7→D7. Call up the next home before the chord changes, and the landing flows naturally.
20–40 min · Real practice: chord following (A7→D7, BPM 75) At last, Week 9's finished piece. On the A7 bar 1 land on the root A; on the D7 bar 2 land on the root D. Even changing only the landing note inside the same box makes the sound of 'following the changes.'
▶ BPM 75. Land the end of bar 1 on A (string 4 fret 7) — the home of A7. Bar 2 lands on D (string 3 fret 7) — the home of D7. Even changing only the landing note inside the same box makes the sound of 'following the changes.'
When the chord changes, home changes too — once this feel is complete within two bars, you can now follow the changes over any blues.
40–50 min · Recording (Week 9 graduation mission!) Record chord following over an A7→D7 backing. Capture in a single file whether the landing note moves house exactly from A to D when the chord changes.
Today's completion criteria: Across the two bars where A7→D7 change, you landed bar 1 on the root A and bar 2 on the root D, completing chord following, and recorded it. — This week's result: A7→D7 chord following landings, played through and recorded (Week 9 complete!)
Common mistakes when completing chord following. Most come from 'the moment you move home.'
▶ When the chord changes, home moves. From A7's green A to D7's green D, the landing home moves house along with the chord.
- Landing on A in both bars. Bar 2 is D7. You have to move the end note to D for the chord change to be heard.
- Trying to change even the lead-in. The front part is identical in both bars. Only the final landing note changes.
- Placing the landing on a weak beat. A and D have to sit on strong beats for the two chords to come through distinctly.
- Craving the system now. The whole-fretboard five boxes and modes belong to the next journey, solo_scale. Today, Box 1 landings are enough.