Harmony
Guide tones
Guide tones are the third and seventh of a chord: they define its quality (major, minor or dominant) and connect the chords of a progression with small, smooth moves.
What are guide tones?
In a seventh chord, two notes carry most of the information: the third and the seventh. The third tells you major or minor (a major third or a minor one), the seventh tells you maj7, 7 or m7. The root is usually covered by the bass, and the fifth adds almost nothing distinctive.
Take G7 (G B D F): drop G and D, keep B and F. Those two notes form a tritone, the tension that defines a dominant chord. You already hear G7, especially with a bass player on G.
How do guide tones move in a ii-V-I?
In a ii-V-I in C (Dm7, G7, Cmaj7), the guide tones move by a half step at most:
| Chord | Third | Seventh |
|---|---|---|
| Dm7 | F | C |
| G7 | B | F |
| Cmaj7 | E | B |
The seventh of Dm7 (C) falls to the third of G7 (B), the third of Dm7 (F) stays put and becomes the seventh of G7, then F falls to E while B holds. The seventh of one chord resolves down to the third of the next: that is the golden rule of voice leading whenever roots move in fourths.
Where do you play guide tones on the guitar neck?
The easiest home is the D and G strings, where the two notes sit side by side:
- Dm7: F (D string, 3rd fret) + C (G string, 5th fret)
- G7: F (D string, 3rd fret) + B (G string, 4th fret)
- Cmaj7: E (D string, 2nd fret) + B (G string, 4th fret)
Only one finger moves at each change. Add the root on the A or low E string and you get three-note shell voicings: Dm7 x-5-3-5-x-x, G7 3-x-3-4-x-x, Cmaj7 x-3-2-4-x-x.
Exercise: guide tones over a blues in A
Over A7 the guide tones are C# and G; over D7 they are F# and C. Play G on the D string, 5th fret, and C# on the G string, 6th fret, for A7. Then slide both down one fret: F# (D string, 4th fret) and C (G string, 5th fret) for D7. Both voices drop a half step.
When you solo, treat these notes as target notes: play any phrase you like, but land on the chord's third on beat 1 of each bar. The solo builder shows these notes for every chord of a progression, so you can find them on the neck quickly.
Key takeaways
- Guide tones are the third and seventh of a chord.
- They are enough to hear the chord quality while the bass plays the root.
- In a ii-V-I, each seventh drops a half step to the next third.
- On the D and G strings, only one finger moves from chord to chord.
Frequently asked questions
Why isn't the fifth a guide tone?
The perfect fifth is the same in Cmaj7, C7 and Cm7, so it does not tell those chords apart. Guitarists often leave it out to keep voicings light. It only matters when it is altered, like the flat fifth in Bm7b5.
Do guide tones apply to chords without a seventh?
Partly. On a triad, the third is still the note that decides major or minor. On a sixth chord, the sixth takes the role of the seventh. The principle is the same: keep the notes that define the chord and connect them by the shortest path.
How can I hear guide tones in a recording?
Listen to a horn section or a jazz pianist: the inner lines that slide down by half steps through a ii-V-I are almost always thirds and sevenths. Sing C, B, B over Dm7, G7, Cmaj7 and you are already singing a guide-tone line.
Related terms
Practise in the workshop
Take it from theory to the fretboard
Open the workshop tools and see this idea across the whole neck. Free account, no card needed.