The previous two concepts connected one or two scale degrees with chromatics. This final concept zooms out and gives you a way to fill an entire bar with chromatic movement while still landing cleanly on a scale tone at the end — a technique that creates real forward momentum and sounds exactly like the kind of chromatic playing you hear from great jazz-influenced guitarists.
What you’ll get out of this lesson: You’ll learn how to construct a full bar of chromatic eighth notes — six notes of straight chromatic descent followed by a three-note approach pattern — and how to choose the correct ending depending on where your target scale tone lies.
The structure of a chromatic bar
Playing in eighth notes gives you eight notes per bar. The idea here is to use the first six as a straight chromatic descent from a scale tone, then use the remaining two notes as an approach into the target. Start on any scale degree, descend six chromatic tones — that fills beats one-and, two-and, three-and — and then assess: where is the next scale degree you want to land on? The diagram below maps out the three possible relationships between where your six-note run ends and your target note, which we can label T1 (one fret below), T2 (two frets below), and T3 (three frets below).
The three ending patterns
After six descending chromatic notes, your target scale tone will be one of three distances below where you’ve ended.
If your target is one semitone below (T1): approach it from two frets below and climb up chromatically. The full line ends: chromatic note, chromatic note, target. A two-note run-up into the landing.
If your target is a whole tone — two semitones — below (T2): use a chromatic enclosure. Play the note one semitone above the target, then the note one semitone below, then the target itself. Full sequence for that bar: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, T1, T3, T2. This tight three-note ornament pins the ear on the landing.
If your target is three semitones below (T3): use a drop approach — a false enclosure. Play the note one semitone above the target, rise another semitone, then drop to the target. Full sequence: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, T2, T1, T3. It creates a brief flourish before the landing that sounds great at tempo.
“In my mind, I visualize where I end. One, two, three, four, five, six. And then once I’ve hit that, I think of these three frets, and I think if I want that one, I know to run up to it. If I want that one, I know to enclose it. And if I want that one, I know to do that drop-off.”
How to practise it across a scale
Work down a scale one degree at a time. Start on the highest note of a shape, run down six chromatic notes, identify your next scale degree, choose the correct tailpiece, and land. Then start again from the next scale degree down. Keep going until you reach the bottom of the scale. You’ll quickly notice that some scale degrees consistently produce the same target relationship — that’s useful information about the scale’s internal structure, and it helps you anticipate which pattern you’ll need before the run even starts. There will also be moments where you have a choice — for instance, you can land on either of two nearby scale degrees — and that choice is yours to make musically.
Putting it into your lines
Once the three patterns are solid in isolation, start inserting the whole figure into improvised lines. Use it to open a phrase — a chromatic bar is a strong attention-grabber that sets up whatever comes next. Use it to close a phrase by landing on a chord tone. The key is that the landing note is always a choice, not a happy accident. You know which scale degree you’re aiming for before the run begins.
Taking it further: Apply this approach to every scale you’re currently working on. The technique is equally valuable in minor, Dorian, or any mode. You can also experiment with ascending versions — six chromatic notes climbing upward — and work out equivalent approach patterns for arriving at a target from below. Check out some of the books and resources mentioned in the bonus page for further reading on the harmonic thinking behind chromatic playing.
Your homework: Choose one scale shape you know well. Work down it from top to bottom, using the six-note chromatic descent from each scale degree and selecting the correct approach pattern each time. Do this slowly enough that you can decide which pattern you need before you play it. Once comfortable, find a simple backing track and try inserting one chromatic bar into your improvising every few phrases — and show the results in the group.