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Table of Contents
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Preface

Chord/Chord-scale Pairings

What are Target Notes?

How are the different book sets organized?

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Music Notation & Accidentals

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Arrows & Brackets Analysis

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Scales
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Using Arrows and Brackets for Target Notes

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How to use this book

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Song Index Hub

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More Books by mDecks Music

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Preface
After releasing the Jazz Standard Progressions and the Upper Structures over
Jazz Standards Progressions book collections we decided to embark in the
creation of a method that will offer a systematic way of practicing target notes
over chord changes from complete jazz standards progressions.

Writing music as chord changes (as in a lead sheet chart) is the most-often used
method to represent jazz tunes. This way of writing music gives the necessary
information to the player so that the essence of the tune is present but at the
same time is ambiguous enough to allow the player the freedom to create
(improvise) her/his own version of the song on every performance.

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The chords in a jazz tune tell a story much larger than the notes embedded in
each chord symbol. Being able to listen to these stories is much more than
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knowing the notes in a chord symbol. It takes years of practice, playing and
listening to the masters interpret these chord changes, before one can
communicate and interpret a personal musical account of a tune’s story as told
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by its chord changes.

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The biggest misconception on how to read chord symbols in a chart is that if

you know the notes they represent, you can then play a jazz tune. That is not at
all the case. Don’t get me wrong, it is essential to know that Cmaj7 indicates a C
major triad with a major seventh which contains the notes C, E, G, and B, but
that is just the beginning of the journey. There is so much more implied in a
chord symbol. And when that chord symbol is part of a chord progression the
implications are even larger.

Every chord in a harmonic progression plays a certain role in the key of the
moment. That role is known as the harmonic function. For example, in the key of
C, a Dm7 G7 Cmaj7 is called a 2 5 1 progression because the Dm7 is playing

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the role of the IIm7, the G7 is the V7 and the Cmaj7 is the Imaj7. We could also
say: Dm7’s function in this progression is IIm7.

Harmonic functions are not only associated with a specific chord but also with a
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sound or amount of tension. The Imaj7 has a low amount of tension while the V7
has a greater amount of tension.

The best approach at interpreting chord symbols, and therefore chord changes,
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is to analyze what each chord’s function is. In our example, if we add an “Fmaj7
to Cmaj7” at the end of our 2-5-1 progression: Dm7 G7 | Cmaj7 Fmaj7 | Cmaj7
we now have another maj7 chord (Cmaj7 and Fmaj7) but the functions of these
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two maj7 chords are not the same. Cmaj7 is the Imaj7 while Fmaj7 is the IVmaj7.

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Both maj7 chords imply the same note degrees: 1 3 5 7.

Cmaj7 = C E G B and Fmaj7 = F A C E

The resulting sound should be exactly the same for both chords; the sound of a
maj7 chord. How can we show the difference in function then? Or do the Imaj7
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and IVmaj7 have the same amount of tension? Or, maybe, just by having
different notes the Fmaj7 already offers a different amount of tension than the
Cmaj7 since we are in the key of C?

In a way, that last point is a valid one. The Fmaj7 will offer a different amount of
tension from the Cmaj7 because of the notes in the each chord. The root of the
Fmaj7 (F) wants to resolve to E and contains more tension than E. Same with the
3rd (A) wanting to resolve to G. From this point of view the Fmaj7 contains more
tension than the Cmaj7 just because the notes in each chord offer a different
amount of tension. In some sense that defines the Fmaj7’s role as a IVmaj7. But
there’s a much deeper structure embedded in that IVmaj7: the Lydian scale.

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Every harmonic function is associated with a default chord-scale. When we play
an Fmaj7 as a IVmaj7 the whole set of notes in the chromatic scale gets a
specific tension-release weight.
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You can think of this tension-release weight as a value of tension and direction
of release assigned to each note in the chromatic scale from the point of view of
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that chord playing the role of a certain harmonic function.

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This tension value is dependent on whether the note is in the chord or not and
where it belongs in the chord, and whether it is in the default chord-scale or not.
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The release direction is dependent on the harmonic function that chord is

playing.

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That’s why when a more advanced player looks at a chord in a chord

progression, the chord gets instantly associated with a harmonic function which
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in turn determines the default chord-scale for that chord allowing the player to
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classify all the notes in the chromatic scale by tension value and release
direction.

“Ah,” - you might say - “that’s too complicated! Nobody thinks about that when
they play!”

And you are right! No player thinks about that during a performance. You think
about these things when you practice!

Although it is true that practicing should be 90% of actually playing your

instrument, the other 10% should be thinking conceptually about what the
reasons for your practice routine are. You must have a clear concept of what you
are trying to achieve with your practice routine. Design exercises based on that

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How are the different book sets organized?
As we mentioned before, once the concept has been defined, we must create
exercises to practice in order to assimilate the concept. The more we practice
the concept the more often it will automatically come out in our playing. The
objective is not only to be able to play targets without thinking but also to
assimilate the sound color each target creates over different chords and chord
progressions.

Using these books you can practice target notes over the entire Jazz Standards
repertoire. In the process you will also learn jazz standards from another angle
and your ears will memorize these lines embedded in the tunes. This is not only
a great concept but one of the best ear training exercises you can do, not to
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mention your playing will improve a thousandfold.

Each volume is broken down into a 3-book set. Each book within the set
focuses exclusively on one of three target-note concepts: Chord-Tones,
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Tensions & Tone-Lines. The three volumes mirror the Jazz Standards as
they appear in the three Jazz Real Books. 

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The following is an example of the bass-clef C Instruments collection:

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The sets are available for treble-clef C Instruments, Bb Instruments, Eb

Instruments and bass-clef C Instruments.

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Here is a brief explanation of each set:

CHORD-TONES: These books concentrate in the practice of the essential

inside target notes known as Chord-Tones: Root - 3rd (sus4) - 5th - 7th (6th)

Notice that if the chord is a sus4 you must target the sus4 instead of the 3rd. The
same applies to 6th chords (versus. 7th chords)

Every Jazz Standard appears four times; one with the roots for every chord, one
with the 3rd (sus4), one with the 5th and one with the 7th (6th)

TENSIONS: These books concentrate in the practice of available chord

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extensions known as Tensions: 9th (root) • 11th (3rd) • 13th (5th)

Notice that if the 9th is an avoid tension you must target the root instead. The
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same applies to the 11th (if the 11th is an avoid use the 3rd) and the 13th (if the
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13th is an avoid use the 5th)

Every Jazz Standard appears three times; one with the 9th (root) for every chord,
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one with the 11th (3rd), and one with the 13th (5th)

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TONE-LINES: These books concentrate in the practice of lines created

prioritizing the shortest distance between available targets. We have named this
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Tone-lines: Guide-Tone Lines, Chord-Tone Lines and Tension-Lines

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The rules for the target notes in the lines are the same as for the individual target
notes in the previous sets. It is important to notice that there could be many
different ways in which we can create any of these lines. This book offers one of
the many possible solutions.

Every Jazz Standard appears three times; one with guide-tone lines (made out
of only guide-tones), one with chord-tone lines (only chord-tones) and one with
tension-lines (only tensions)

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How to use this book
The best way to practice with these books is with accompaniment.

Here are a few suggestions:

• Find a friend that could play the chord progression (piano, or guitar) or a start
a rehearsing band where each musician takes turns playing the target notes.

• If you are a piano player, you can provide your own accompaniment with your
left hand and play the target notes on your right hand. It is worth noting that
you would be sharing your attention between providing the chord changes and
playing targets, which makes the exercise more challenging.

• Use a backing track accompaniment (the trick is to find one that follows
exactly the chord changes shown in the charts)

• Use Mapping Tonal Harmony Pro which is the software used to create the
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progressions in these books and has the exact same songs and chord
progressions. It also includes a play-along feature that will provide the
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accompaniment at any tempo you want.

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Important: Not only play the targets on your instrument. Also try SINGING the
targets. Prove to yourself you can hear each target. If you can hear it, you can
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play it.

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Depending on your skills you might want to tackle this book using different
approaches.

Beginner’s Level
You don’t know the target notes by heart. It takes you a bit of time to figure out
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the correct target notes (the b3 on a minor chord, the #5 on an augmented

chord, etc)

Suggested way of practicing for beginner’s: Don’t worry too much about not
knowing the targets in a millisecond. Just read them. Play the lines provided
over as many songs as you can. Pay attention to how the different target notes
sound. As you progress through the book, you will start noticing that you will get
faster and more accurate at predicting which the correct target note is over
every chord in a progression. And you ears will start learning these lines
embedded in the tunes.

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Intermediate Level
You know your intervals really well and can tell right away what the b3, or b5 or
maj7 for every chord is.

Just play using the current targeting over as many songs as you can. Use the
written notes to validate of correct what you would have played over every
chord. Now you have more freedom to listen to these targets and assimilate how
they sound. If you are practicing any of the LINES volumes (chord-tone lines,
tension lines or guid-tone lines) see if you can start linking the arrows and
brackets symbology to the implied lines (as we have explained previously)

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Advanced Level
You know your targets and can play them in a millisecond without even thinking.
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You also know how they sound.

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At this level you can start adding connecting notes or approach notes to the
targets. Improvise by thinking of the target. Land the target on the expected
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beat, or use rhythmic displacement to land your target on an off beat. Play the
approach notes without playing the target. Use your ears to hear the target
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internally but don not play them.

Practice with other players or singers

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If you are part of a band, orchestra or choir you can assign each musician a
different target exercise. All of you playing together will be outlining the chord
progression for each standard. Every player will have to use their ears in order to
fine-tune the target note against the rest. This exercise increases the awareness
of the different embedded lines in a harmonic progression.


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