Theory
Yesterday you learned the smooth transition that keeps the common tones. Today you find the highest note, the top note, in the chord. The top note is the voice laid on top of the chord — the note the ear hears first and remembers longest. The chord becomes the background, and the top note leads the song.
The top-note spots of the two chords are fixed. Dm9's top note is the 1st string fret 5 (A, the 5th); G13's top note is the 1st string fret 7 (B, the 3rd). On the same 1st string, just two frets apart — 5 and 7 — the voice of the two chords changes. Don't move it yet; first burn where the top note lives into the hand.
Today you grab the chord and pluck just the top note on top of it. At BPM 70, lay the chord and ring the 1st-string top note clearly. Once you can press the top note accurately, tomorrow's readiness to move it as a melody is complete. First, find Dm9's top note.
▶ Dm9's top note is the 1st string fret 5 (A, the 5th). The green note is the voice laid on top of the chord.
See it
Now G13's top note. The 1st string fret 7 (B, the 3rd), two frets above Dm9's top note. The 3rd sets a chord's expression, so on top it sings bright.
▶ G13's top note is the 1st string fret 7 (B, the 3rd). The green note lays the chord's bright expression on top.
Now lay the chord, then press the top note. Chord on the first 2 beats, top note on the last 2. This is the first link where chord and top note ring as one body.
▶ BPM 70. Lay the chord for 2 beats, then ring the 1st-string top note (green) for 2 beats. Listen for the top note rising clearly above the chord.
Today's practice
0–10 min · Warm-up BPM 65. Grab Dm9 and G13 and pluck only the 1st-string top note. Check with the ear that the top note stays clear and isn't buried under other strings.
10–20 min · Brain training (locating the top note) Silently grab the two chords and spot with your eyes whether each chord's 1st-string top note sits on fret 5 or fret 7.
20–40 min · Real chord + top note (BPM 70) Repeat the four bars below without a break. Watch just one thing: whether the top note sounds a notch louder than the chord.
▶ BPM 70. Loop chord + top note twice. Don't miss the top note rising clearly every time.
40–50 min · Recording / self-feedback (recommended) Record 30 seconds and listen back. Check whether the top note sounds like a voice instead of being buried in the chord.
Done when: You can press each chord's top note (1st string fret 5·7) accurately on Dm9 and G13 and ring it clearly above the chord.
Here are just the mistakes that show up most as you press the top note.
▶ 1st string fret 5 is Dm9's top note (the 5th); fret 7 is G13's top note (the 3rd).
- The top note gets buried in the chord. Pluck the 1st string a touch harder and clearer. The top is a voice, so it should come forward.
- You can't find the top note. Keep the chord hand as it is and check only the 1st string — the spot appears.
- The chord breaks. Keep the chord fingers pressed even while you press the top note.
- You raise the speed first. If the top note is faint, drop to BPM 65 and make the sound clear first.