two players · one key family · five exercises each

LANDAU & HENDERSON

Exercises that build the vocabulary of two of the most expressive players in modern music — all in your home keys, side by side
B MINOR AEOLIAN D MINOR AEOLIAN

Same scale family, two players, two completely different languages. Landau speaks in long vocal phrases and bends. Henderson speaks in chromatic outside lines that resolve. Master both and you've got everything you need for modern blues, rock, fusion, and beyond.

The Landau Approach

Slow, vocal, bend-heavy. Lives in pentatonic + Aeolian. Uses the b6 as a "dark color" passing tone. Every phrase has SPACE. The bend is the gesture; the silence between phrases is the message.

Target tones: b3, 5, b7. Bend FROM the 5 TO the b7. Land on the 5 to resolve.

The Henderson Approach

Chromatic, outside, resolution-focused. Lives in Aeolian + Dorian + chromatic approach notes. Plays "wrong" notes that resolve to "right" notes. Lots of triplets and sextuplets. Less space, more density.

Target tones: chord tones (R, b3, 5). Approach them chromatically from a half-step above or below. The "ugly" sound resolving is the whole game.

REFThe Scales — Reference

Bm Aeolian — Your Home

B — C# — D — E — F# — G — A
R — 2 — b3 — 4 — 5 — b6 — b7
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 e B G D A E B B B B B B C# C# C# C# C# D D D D D D E E E E E E E F# F# F# F# F# F# F# G G G G G G G A A A A A A A
B — Root D — b3 (bend FROM) F# — 5 (target) G — b6 (Aeolian color) C#, E, A — scale tones

Dm Aeolian — The Sister Key

D — E — F — G — A — Bb — C
R — 2 — b3 — 4 — 5 — b6 — b7
0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 e B G D A E D D D D D D D E E E E E E E E F F F F F F F F G G G G G G G G A A A A A A A A Bb Bb Bb Bb Bb Bb Bb Bb C C C C C C C C
D — Root F — b3 (bend FROM) A — 5 (target) Bb — b6 (Aeolian color) E, G, C — scale tones
The translation rule Bm and Dm Aeolian are the SAME shape — just shift down 3 frets. Every Landau or Henderson move you learn in Bm transposes directly to Dm by shifting the box 3 frets toward the headstock (12th fret box → 9th fret box).

LANDAUFive Landau Exercises

LANDAU 01
L1The Slow Vocal Bend

The single most Landau-defining move. Bend the 5 (F# in Bm, A in Dm) up a whole step to the b7 (A in Bm, C in Dm). Hold with vibrato. Release. Descend through 2-3 scale notes. This phrase is in EVERY Landau solo ever recorded.

Bm

e|---------------------------|
B|--7-b(9)~~~~~~~~~9-7-------|
G|---------------------9-----|
D|---------------------------|
   bend F# to A, hold,
   release to F#, then to E

   3 secs hold + 1 sec release

Dm

e|---------------------------|
B|--10-b(12)~~~~~~12-10------|
G|-----------------------12--|
D|---------------------------|
   bend A to C, hold,
   release to A, then to G

   Same gesture, 3 frets up
Why it works The 5→b7 bend is a minor 3rd interval — three semitones. That's the same interval as the b3-to-5 "blues" sound. Bending the 5 UP TO the b7 creates an immediate sense of yearning resolution because your ear hears "minor chord territory" the entire time.
How to practice
20 reps slowly, 60 BPM. Reference the target note (A on G-string fret 14 for Bm, or C on G-string fret 5 for Dm) BEFORE you bend. Match pitch. Hold for 4 beats. Release over 2 beats.
LANDAU 02
L2The Aeolian Walk With b6 Accent

One note per beat through the full Aeolian scale, ascending and descending. Accent the b6. That's the Landau "dark color" note — it's what makes his sad passages sound cinematic rather than blues-clichéd.

Bm — ascend then descend

e|----------------------------|
B|----------------7--8--10----|
G|----------7--9-----[G]------|
D|----7--9----------accent----|
A|--7-9-----------------------|
E|----------------------------|
   B C# D E  F# G  A  B  C#
   R 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 R  2
            ↑
        ACCENT G slightly

Dm — ascend then descend

e|----------------------------|
B|----------------10-11-13----|
G|----------10-12----[Bb]-----|
D|----10-12--------accent-----|
A|--10-12---------------------|
E|----------------------------|
   D E  F G  A Bb C  D  E
   R 2 b3 4 5 b6 b7 R  2
            ↑
       ACCENT Bb slightly
The b6 is the secret weapon Pentatonic players never play this note. That's why their playing sounds "bluesy" but never "cinematic." The b6 transforms minor pentatonic into Aeolian (natural minor) — adds the sad, longing quality. Use it as PASSING motion. Never camp on it.
LANDAU 03
L3The Call & Answer Phrase

Two-bar phrase: bar 1 ASKS a question (rising or sustained note), bar 2 ANSWERS it (descending resolution). The space between them is the music. 4 beats of silence between each phrase. Don't fill them.

Bm — Call & Answer

CALL (bar 1):
B|--7-b(9)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
G|----------------------------|
   F# bent to A, sustained

[4 beats of REST]

ANSWER (bar 2):
B|--10-7---------------------|
G|------9-7------------------|
D|---------9-7---------------|
A|-------------9-------------|
   A-F#-E-D-B-A (descend)

Dm — Call & Answer

CALL (bar 1):
B|--10-b(12)~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|
G|----------------------------|
   A bent to C, sustained

[4 beats of REST]

ANSWER (bar 2):
B|--13-10--------------------|
G|------12-10----------------|
D|---------12-10-------------|
A|-------------12------------|
   C-A-G-F-D-C (descend)
Why this is Landau, not just blues Most players fill every beat. Landau leaves SILENCE. The call-and-answer with space between is the difference between "guitar player" and "musician." 4 beats of rest is uncomfortable at first. Stay uncomfortable. It's the right amount of rest.
LANDAU 04
L4Wide Interval to Narrow Resolution

Leap a big interval (5th or 6th), then walk back stepwise. This is the Landau signature: "leap UP, walk DOWN." Creates drama, then dissolves it.

Bm

e|------14-------12---10-----|
B|--7-------------------------|
G|----------9-------9---------|
D|----------------------------|
   F# (leap up to) F# octave,
   then stepwise descend
   F# - F# - E - D# - C# - B

Dm

e|------12-------10---8------|
B|--5-------------------------|
G|----------7-------7---------|
D|----------------------------|
   A (leap up to) A octave,
   then stepwise descend
   A - A - G - F# - E - D
Drama economy A big leap creates a feeling of "where am I going?" — instant tension. The stepwise descent resolves that tension gently. Compare: playing 8 stepwise notes feels neutral. Playing 1 leap + 6 stepwise notes feels like a story.
LANDAU 05
L5The Sustained Single Note

Pick ONE note. Hold it for 8 seconds with developing vibrato. This is the hardest exercise on the page. No fills, no movement. Just tone, time, and emotion.

Bm — F# the 5th

B|--7~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|

Pick ONCE. Don't re-pick.

Seconds 1-2: pure tone, no vibrato
Seconds 3-5: slow narrow vibrato
Seconds 6-8: wider, slightly faster
              vibrato builds

Dm — A the 5th

B|--10~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~|

Same approach, 5th of Dm.

The 5th is the most stable note
in any key. Holding it for 8
seconds with vibrato is pure
"singing" — no harmonic motion,
all expression.
Why the 5th, not the root The root is too "obvious" — feels like an arrival, not a place to live. The 5th has a slight ambiguity — it sounds like "I'm here, but I might go anywhere from here." Landau sustains 5ths constantly. Hear "The Holiday" — half the song is on the 5th.
How to practice
Volume swell with pinky on the guitar volume knob if you can manage it — fade in from silence to peak around second 4, hold the peak with vibrato through second 8. Devastating when it works.

HENDERSONFive Henderson Exercises

Scott Henderson is the master of "outside" playing — using chromatic notes that don't belong to the scale, then resolving them. His vocabulary draws on jazz (bebop chromatic passing tones), blues (the b5), and fusion (modal chord-tone targeting). All of it lives over the same Aeolian framework.

HENDERSON 01
H1The Chromatic Approach Note

The Henderson essential. Hit a "wrong" note one fret below a chord tone, then immediately resolve UP to the chord tone. The dissonance lasts 1/16th of a beat. The resolution is the whole point.

Bm — approach notes to chord tones

e|-----------------------------|
B|--6-7--9-10--11-12-----------|
G|-------------------8-9-------|
D|-------------------------8-9-|

Chrom→Target pattern:
F→F#  (chromatic→5)
A→B   (b7→R)
A#→B  (chromatic→R)  
E→F   wait, in Bm:
D#→E  (chromatic→4)
G→F#  (b6 resolving DOWN to 5)

Dm — same idea, 3 frets down

e|-----------------------------|
B|--9-10--12-13--14-15---------|
G|--------------------11-12----|
D|-------------------------11-12|

Chrom→Target pattern:
A→Bb  wait, in Dm:
G#→A  (chromatic→5)  
C→D   (b7→R)
C#→D  (chromatic→R)
F#→G  (chromatic→4)
Bb→A  (b6 resolving DOWN to 5)
The rule of chromatic approach You can play ANY half-step approach to a chord tone (R, b3, 5, b7). The "wrong" note must be on a weak beat (& of 1, & of 2, etc) and the "right" note on the strong beat (1, 2, 3, 4). The ear hears "tension → release" rather than "wrong note."
How to practice
Pick a chord tone. Approach it from a half-step BELOW (chromatic from below) and from a half-step ABOVE (chromatic from above). Mix freely. The strong beat must always be the chord tone.
HENDERSON 02
H2The Triplet Sextuplet Sweep

Six notes per beat (sextuplets) using chord tones across two strings. Henderson lives on these — they sound like he's "running" through changes but every note has melodic intent.

Bm — Bm triad sextuplet

e|----------7---------------|
B|--10---7----7--10---7-----|
G|-----9---9------9-9-------|
   1  a  e  &  a  e  2

6 notes per beat: D-F#-B-D-F#-D
Chord tones: b3-5-R-b3-5-b3
All Bm chord tones.

Dm — Dm triad sextuplet

e|----------10--------------|
B|--13---10-----13---10-----|
G|-----12----12-----12-12---|
   1  a  e  &  a  e  2

6 notes per beat: F-A-D-F-A-F
Chord tones: b3-5-R-b3-5-b3
All Dm chord tones.
Why this sounds like Henderson Most players run scales (stepwise motion). Henderson runs CHORD ARPEGGIOS (chord-tone leaps). The sound is intervallic and angular instead of smooth — that's the fusion vocabulary. 6 notes per beat = density without rushing the tempo.
How to practice
Start at 60 BPM. Get the picking pattern locked (alternate or all downstrokes — Henderson uses both). Build to 90 BPM. Don't try faster until 90 is CLEAN.
HENDERSON 03
H3The Outside-Inside Pattern

Play a phrase entirely in the WRONG key (a half-step or whole-step away), then resolve back to the right key on the last note. This is the Henderson "out and back" trick — sounds avant-garde but always lands on home.

Bm — Out to Bbm, back to Bm

OUTSIDE (Bbm pentatonic):
e|--6-9----------------------|
B|------6-9------------------|
G|----------6-8--------------|

INSIDE resolution (Bm):
G|--------------9------------|
   "Wrong" notes:
   F-G#-D#-F#-D-F (Bbm pent)
   resolve to B (root of Bm)
   
   Out for 6 notes, in on 1.

Dm — Out to Dbm, back to Dm

OUTSIDE (Dbm pentatonic):
e|--9-12---------------------|
B|------9-12-----------------|
G|----------9-11-------------|

INSIDE resolution (Dm):
G|--------------12-----------|
   "Wrong" notes:
   Ab-Cb-Gb-Bb-Db-Fb (Dbm)
   resolve to D (root of Dm)
   
   Out for 6 notes, in on 1.
The "half-step displacement" trick Move your familiar pentatonic up or down by ONE FRET. Play 6-8 notes in that "wrong" position. Then slide back to your home key on the last note. Your brain panics for a moment, then the resolution feels like a release. Henderson does this constantly — "Tore Down House" album is full of these moves.
How to practice
Play 4 bars in Bm. Then 2 bars in Bbm (one fret down). Then 1 bar in Bm again. The contrast IS the music. Don't make the outside section "pretty" — let it feel wrong. The resolution makes it right.
HENDERSON 04
H4The Bebop Enclosure

"Enclose" a target chord tone with chromatic notes from above AND below. Henderson borrowed this from bebop horn players (Parker, Coltrane). Creates instant sophistication on any minor blues.

Bm — Enclose F# (the 5)

e|---------------------------|
B|--8-6-7--------------------|
G|----------11---------------|

Pattern: G - F - F# (target)
         b6 - chromatic - 5

Or: from above and below
B|--8------------------------|
G|-----6-7-9-----------------|
   G  F  F# (target 5)
   
The target is squeezed
between approaches.

Dm — Enclose A (the 5)

e|---------------------------|
B|--11-9-10------------------|
G|-----------14--------------|

Pattern: Bb - Ab - A (target)
         b6 - chromatic - 5

Or: from above and below
B|--11-----------------------|
G|-----9-10-12---------------|
   Bb Ab A (target 5)

Same pattern, transposed.
The "wrap-around" feel Approaching a note from ONE side feels predictable. Approaching from BOTH sides feels like the note was inevitable — like the music WANTED to arrive there. This is the bebop tradition Henderson studied (he was a Berklee instructor) and the move that separates "good" players from "interesting" players.
HENDERSON 05
H5The Chord-Tone Soloing Drill

Henderson's foundational drill, taught at every clinic he's ever given. Play ONLY chord tones for 8 bars. No passing notes, no scales — just R, b3, 5, b7. This is brutally restrictive and brutally educational.

Bm — Chord tones only

The notes you can use:
B (root) - frets 7E, 14A, 9D, 4G, 12B, 7e
D (b3)   - frets 10E, 5A, 12D, 7G, 15B, 10e
F# (5)   - frets 14E, 9A, 4D, 11G, 7B, 2e+14e
A (b7)   - frets 5E, 12A, 7D, 2G+14G, 10B, 5e

Improvise using ONLY these.
8 bars. No other notes allowed.

Dm — Chord tones only

The notes you can use:
D (root) - frets 10E, 5A, 0D+12D, 7G, 3B+15B, 10e
F (b3)   - frets 13E, 8A, 3D+15D, 10G, 6B, 1e+13e
A (5)    - frets 5E, 0A+12A, 7D, 2G+14G, 10B, 5e
C (b7)   - frets 8E, 3A+15A, 10D, 5G, 1B+13B, 8e

Improvise using ONLY these.
8 bars. No other notes allowed.
The point of restriction When you can only play 4 notes, every choice matters. You learn WHERE the chord tones live across the whole neck. You learn how to MAKE MUSIC with limited materials. Once you free yourself back into the full scale, every chord-tone landing sounds intentional — because it IS.
How to practice
8 minutes minimum. Set a timer. Don't break the rule. If you hit a "wrong" note (anything other than R, b3, 5, b7), stop, restart. Henderson teaches this in his Skype lessons — it's not optional, it's foundational.

ROUTINEThe 30-Minute Practice Routine

Use one exercise from each player per session

Don't try all 10 in one day. Rotate. Same key family (Bm or Dm) the whole session — pick ONE key and stick with it.

  1. 5 min — L1 The Slow Vocal Bend
    Always start here. Wakes up the ear, warms the fingers, locks in the signature gesture.
  2. 5 min — H5 Chord-Tone Soloing
    The brutal restriction drill. Use only R, b3, 5, b7. Makes you HEAR the harmony.
  3. 5 min — L3 Call & Answer
    The space exercise. Forces phrasing instead of noodling.
  4. 5 min — H1 Chromatic Approach Notes
    The sophistication injection. Adds bebop colour to your blues.
  5. 5 min — L5 The Sustained Single Note
    The tone exercise. Eight seconds of pure vibrato on the 5th. Hardest exercise on the page.
  6. 5 min — Free improvisation
    Apply everything. No rules now. Mix Landau space with Henderson chromaticism. Find your own balance.
The integration goal After a few weeks of this routine, you should be able to play a phrase that uses Landau's space and bends AND Henderson's chromatic approach notes — in the same phrase. That's where modern blues-rock-fusion lives. That's where you become "you" instead of either of them.