> What Are Target Notes?
A target note is a specific note you aim for on a chord change or at a structurally important moment. It is where your phrase lands. It is your destination.
Without a target, you are wandering. With a target, you are traveling. The notes between targets become the journey, and the journey has direction because you know where you are going.
Target notes transform improvisation from "playing notes that fit" to "telling a story." Every great melody has points of arrival. These arrivals create the sense that the music is going somewhere, that each phrase has purpose.
> Why 3rds and 7ths Matter Most
Not all chord tones are equally useful as targets. The 3rd and 7th carry the most harmonic information. The root and 5th are stable but generic. The 3rd and 7th are specific.
Why 3rds and 7ths Are Special:
Together, 3rd and 7th tell you almost everything about a chord's character.
When you land on the 3rd, listeners hear the chord quality. When you land on the 7th, listeners hear the chord's tension or stability. These notes speak the language of harmony more clearly than root and 5th.
> The Power of Resolution
Music is tension and release. Target notes are the release. When you play a line that builds tension and then lands on a target note, listeners feel satisfaction. The tension resolves.
Resolution Examples:
G7 → Cmaj7: The B (3rd of G7) resolves up to C (root of Cmaj7)
G7 → Cmaj7: The F (7th of G7) resolves down to E (3rd of Cmaj7)
These resolutions are built into the harmony. Your lines can mirror them.
Resolution does not mean always landing on the root. It means landing on a note that belongs to the new chord after building tension on the old chord. The 3rd of the new chord is often the most satisfying target because it confirms the chord quality immediately.
> Creating Tension Intentionally
If landing on target notes creates resolution, avoiding them creates tension. You can use this intentionally. Play notes that want to resolve, but delay the resolution. Make the listener wait. Then deliver.
- Approach notes: Land one semitone above or below your target, then slide into it. The listener hears the near-miss and then the arrival.
- Delayed resolution: Land on the 7th instead of the root. The 7th is a chord tone but still wants to move. Hold the tension longer before resolving.
- Enclosure: Play notes above and below your target before landing on it. Circle around the target note before arriving.
These techniques work because you have a target. Without a destination, there is nothing to delay or approach. The target makes the tension meaningful.
> Simple Lines That Sound Intentional
You do not need many notes to sound musical. You need the right notes at the right moments. A simple line that hits target notes on chord changes sounds more intentional than a complex line that ignores them.
Simple Target Note Line (ii-V-I in C):
Dm7: Start on F (3rd) → walk to...
G7: Land on F (7th) → walk to...
Cmaj7: Land on E (3rd)
Three chord changes, three target notes. Everything else is just getting from one target to the next.
Notice that the line above uses F twice: as the 3rd of Dm7 and as the 7th of G7. This is not coincidence. Common tones connect chords. Using them as targets creates smooth voice leading.
> How to Apply This on Guitar
Finding 3rds and 7ths on the fretboard takes practice. Here is how to develop this awareness:
In any CAGED chord shape, identify which note is the 3rd and which is the 7th. This is fixed knowledge you can memorize.
Before playing a progression, locate the 3rd of each chord. Do not play anything else. Just find the targets.
Once you know where to land, fill in between with scale tones, chromatic notes, whatever. The targets anchor the line.
The 7th of one chord often resolves to the 3rd of the next. Find these paths and use them.
> Common Mistakes
Whatever note you happen to be playing when the chord changes defines your relationship to that chord. Random landings sound uncommitted.
The root is safe but uninteresting. It establishes the chord but does not add color. Use 3rds and 7ths for more musical impact.
The smoothest lines move by small intervals between targets. Large jumps between chord changes sound disconnected.
Not every arrival needs to be a big statement. Some targets are landing points, others are launching points. Vary your emphasis.
> Target Notes as Musical Intention
The deepest value of target notes is intention. When you have a target, your playing has purpose. You are not just exploring sounds. You are making choices that lead somewhere.
Over time, targeting becomes unconscious. You no longer think "I need to hit the 3rd of Cmaj7." You simply hear where the music wants to go and your fingers follow. The targets become felt rather than calculated.
This is musical maturity: knowing the theory so well that you can forget it while playing. Target notes are the bridge from theory to music.
> PRACTICE THIS
Open the Arpeggio Trainer and select a ii-V-I progression in any key. Your assignment: land on the 3rd of each chord on beat 1. Start by just playing those three notes, one per chord. Then add one approach note before each target. Then fill in more freely, but always hit the 3rd on beat 1. This single constraint will transform how intentional your lines sound.
Open Arpeggio Trainer