MELODIC MUSE

STEPPING TONES

Targeting chord tones when soloing over a progression

favorite techniques to use when soloing is to weave melodic lines while traversing the fretboard on a single string. Some of my favorite players, from Jimi Hendrix to Steve Vai, use this approach to great effect. Guitar players will often refer to moving up and down the board in this way, as the lines are formed by the horizontal movement of the fret hand. By contrast, when one moves across multiple strings while remaining in one position, this is often referred to as vertical playing, also known as position playing.