Inserting the approach into the vamp — Dm9 → Ab13 → G13

Finally we drop this week's slide approach into the vamp. In the signature progression Dm9 → G13, instead of arriving flat on G13, you slide in from Ab13 a half-step above to add color. Today you make the approach flow naturally inside a two-bar vamp.

Here's the flow. Bar 1 rings the home chord Dm9 comfortably as a whole note; on the first two beats of bar 2 you press Ab13, then slide to G13 for the last two beats. Bar 1's stability against bar 2's glide contrasts and brings the vamp to life. The approach always sits right before the target chord.

First, lay the home chord Dm9 on the hand again. On the 5th string, fret 5 is the root, and the 9th on the 2nd string makes the soft color. Starting from this comfortable spot makes the next glide stand out more.

▶ Home chord Dm9. 5th string 5th fret root; the 9th on the 2nd string makes the soft color.

Before moving to bar 2, re-check the approach chord Ab13 you'll slide from. Press this grip, push it down a half-step, and it's G13 right away.

▶ The Ab13 grip. The spot you press on bar 2's first two beats, then soon push down a half-step.

Now join the two bars into one. It's the finished approach vamp where bar 1 Dm9 and bar 2's Ab13 → G13 slide flow as a single stream. You feel a round trip: resting comfortably at home, then sliding back in from a half-step above.

▶ BPM 75. Bar 1 Dm9; in bar 2, press Ab13 and slide down a half-step to G13.

0–10 min · Warm-up BPM 65. Warm the hand by grabbing Dm9 and the Ab13 → G13 slide in turn. Loosen up the hand move between the home chord and the approach in advance.

10–20 min · Brain training (checking the spots) Silently draw the order Dm9 → Ab13 → G13 with the left hand only. Check with your eyes the move from the 5th-string root to the 6th-string root.

20–40 min · Real approach vamp (BPM 75) Repeat the four bars below without a break. Watch just one thing: whether the slide approach rings clearly every second bar.

▶ BPM 75. Loop the approach vamp twice. Don't miss the sliding landing every second bar.

40–50 min · Recording / self-feedback (recommended) Record 30 seconds and listen back. Compare last week — jumping flat to G13 — with today's vamp that slid in.

Done when: You can loop the Dm9 → Ab13 → G13 vamp at BPM 75 without a break and link bar 2's slide approach smoothly.

Here are just the mistakes that show up most as you roll the approach vamp.

▶ It's the transition point that moves from the 5th string fret 5 (Dm9) to the 6th string fret 4→3 (Ab→G).

• You're late from bar 1 to bar 2. Move the hand toward the 6th string on Dm9's fourth beat and you won't be late.
• The approach sounds flat. Drag Ab13 too long and it sounds like a separate chord, not an approach. Press it only briefly on the first two beats.
• The slide breaks. In bar 2, don't lift the finger — push it down a half-step.
• It gets messy when the speed rises. Drop the BPM to 65 and make the move clean first.