Exercise 1 – SHELLS on ii-v-i’s

So here’s a 7 bar Excerpt from John Coltrane’s Tune Giant Steps

[ Bmaj7     | Fmin7   Bb7 | EbMaj7      |  Amin7  D7  |  Gmaj7      |  C#Min7  F#7  | BMaj7    ]

Set up a metronome and practice the following layers

  • Root on the 6th String
  • Root on the 5th String
  • Root on 6th string plus 7th
  • Root on 5th string plus 7
  • Root on 6th string plus 3rd
  • Root on 5th string plus 3rd
  • Root on 6th string plus 3rd and 7th
  • Root on 5th string plus 3rd + 7th
  • Root on 6th string plus 3rd and 7th without Root
  • Root on 5th string plus 3rd + 7th Without Root
  • Playing any 3rd + 7 th voicing and transition to the next nearest one

These layers might seem excessive, but they internalise your knowledge of the fretboard and your ears knowledge of the sounds.