Week 15: colour that follows the chords
Week fifteen of a 32-week guitar practice path: Mixolydian on each dominant chord, or Dorian and arpeggios that spell the changes.
- Week
- 15 of 32
- Days
- 7
- Played as
- blues or rock
The last technical week, and the most demanding one in both tracks. Instead of one scale across everything, the notes change with the chord underneath.
Blues switches Mixolydian per chord — A Mixolydian over the A7, D over the D7 — each containing that chord's own 3rd and ♭7, which is why it fits exactly. Rock raises the 6th for Dorian to brighten a minor groove, and spells the chords out with arpeggios. Both are week five's idea taken to its conclusion: not just landing on the right note, but drawing from the right set of notes.
Blues treatment
Colour over the changes: Mixolydian on each dominant chord, and the major and minor pentatonic blend
The last technical week, and the most demanding one. Instead of one scale across the whole form, you switch per chord: A Mixolydian over the A7, D Mixolydian over the D7, E Mixolydian over the E7. Each one contains that chord's own major 3rd and ♭7, which is why it fits exactly.
This is week five's target-tone idea taken to its conclusion — not just landing on the right note, but drawing from the right set of notes for the chord underneath. Alongside it sits the major and minor pentatonic blend, which is the same sound arrived at by feel rather than by theory. Most great blues players do both without naming either.
The daily session · ~25 min
- Warm upHands + sing the 3rd4 min
- A Mixolydian over the IThe dominant scale4 min
- Blend major and minor pentatonicSweet and gritty6 min
- Match the scale to the chordMixolydian on each change6 min
- Jam, mixed coloursPut it together5 min
Check yourself
- Play A Mixolydian and A minor pentatonic back to back. Can you hear which note changes the character?
- Switch scale at the change to the IV without a gap in the phrasing.
- Slide between the ♭3 and the 3 in a phrase and make it sound intentional.
Reference
Rock treatment
Colour over the vamp: A Dorian to brighten the minor, and arpeggios that follow the chord changes
The last technical week, and it is about colour and precision together. Dorian is natural minor with one note changed — the 6th raised — and that single note takes a minor groove from mournful to buoyant. Knowing which of the two you want, and when, is a real expressive choice rather than a theory exercise.
The arpeggio half is the precision: instead of one scale over everything, spell out the actual chord underneath. That is what makes a line sound like it is following the music rather than floating over it, and it is the same idea the blues track reaches via target tones.
The daily session · ~25 min
- Warm upHands + rotate the colour4 min
- A Dorian, brighten the minorRaise the 6th4 min
- Arpeggios over the changesSpell each chord6 min
- Colour and target over the vampBright, then home6 min
- Jam, mixed coloursPut it together5 min
Check yourself
- Play A Dorian and A natural minor back to back and name the note that changed.
- Play the arpeggio of each chord in the vamp as it lands.
- Switch from bright to dark deliberately mid-solo. Can a listener hear the shift?
Reference
How the week runs
Whichever accent you pick, the material stays the same for all 7 days and the tempo and intent move. Day one takes it slowly, day two chases clean notes, day three brings it to target tempo and into the jam, day four pushes past comfortable, and day five drops back to tempo to record and listen. Days six and seven are yours.
You can switch accent any day without losing your place — it is the same week either way, so week 15 means the same thing in both.