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Targeting is when you approach a chord tone (normally Roots, 3rds and 5ths)
from a semi-tone away - sometimes you can approach from a tone away.
For this example and for this exercise, use a semi-tone away. This method will
give you a secure understanding of the basic chord structure of all the changes
in a jazz blues. It will also allow you to create descriptive lines from just two
note phrases - you will be 'spelling out the changes' using appropriate and
deliberate harmony (rather than just 'finding' the right note).
To practice it, set a metronome to 100BPM and work on four bars at a time.
Make sure you can get down every permutation for each chord - i.e. the
semitone either side of each Root, 3rd & 5th within the four bars you choose.
Here is an example of how to practice this technique using the first four bars of
the blues (you will need to eventually do all 12 bars.
NB this example only shows some of the options and not all of them (i.e. some
approach notes and target notes are not included in this example and will need
to be explored in your own practice)

° ## 4 ∑ °™ D7 G7 D7 A‹7 D7
& 4 ™
(Root)
(Root) (3rd)
Alto Saxophone
## 4 Ó (5th) (5th)
œ nœ #œ nœ nœ #œ
(3rd) (3rd) # œ n œ
nœ œ b œ œ(5th) ¿
& Œ ‰ œJ ¢™™ œ ‰ #œJ nœ ‰ J ‰ J ‰ J ‰ J ‰ J ‰ J ‰ J
¢ 4
Semi-tone away Semi-tone away S-T
Semi-tone away from S-T
from Root (in G7) from 3rd (in D7) from 5th
5th (in D7) from 3rd
(in Amin7) (in D7)

Bar 5
# G7 G©º D7/F© F©‹7(b5) B7(b9)
Alto Sax. &#

Bar 9

Alto Sax.
#
& # E‹7 A7 D7 B7(b9) E‹7 A7 ™™ ü
†