Directional Playing and Note Choice

Summary

Musical direction is the sense of where a melody or harmony wants to go next. Rather than just playing notes in isolation, directional playing means choosing notes that support the natural movement of a phrase. This guide covers how to listen for direction, how to choose notes that support that movement, and how this approach applies to bass and guitar playing in melodic and harmonic contexts.

Videos

What Directional Playing Is

Directional playing means choosing notes not just for sound, but for movement. Music often feels like it is going somewhere. Some notes push toward a goal, others rest or resolve. Directional playing teaches you to hear where the music wants to move and choose notes that support that sense of motion rather than against it.

Hearing Musical Motion

Musical motion is created by patterns of tension and resolution. Some notes create a feeling of anticipation, and others feel like landing points. Developing a sense of motion helps you hear melodies and harmonies not as static shapes, but as journeys with beginnings, middles, and endings.

Choosing Notes by Direction

When you know where a phrase is going, note choice becomes more intentional. On bass, this might mean choosing a passing tone that leads smoothly to a root. On guitar, this might mean selecting a chord tone or scale tone that reinforces a melodic resolution. Intentional note choice helps phrases feel natural and connected.

Practical Examples on Bass and Guitar

Directional playing can be practiced by: - playing a simple melody and identifying its landing point - tracing a bass line and hearing the pull toward the root - improvising small phrases that highlight motion from unstable to stable These patterns help bridge listening skills and physical execution.