Part 3/9:
Practicing the Progression: Arpeggios and Guide Tones
To get comfortable with the chord changes, Bato recommends arpeggiation—playing the individual chord tones—as a core practice method. He illustrates this by breaking down the movements through the chord progression, especially emphasizing the I–V–vi–ii–V7 cycle, which repeats in the progression.
He demonstrates that mastering the vocabulary of lines—the typical arpeggios and guide tones associated with each chord—is crucial, as it enables improvisers to solo without hesitation. For instance, deriving lines from the third, fifth, and seventh of each chord helps clearly delineate the harmonic structure, making solos sound more purposeful and coherent.