The secret to good melody isn't faster scales — it's knowing which note to land on over which chord. This page breaks down each chord in Renegade Destruction and tells you exactly which notes are chord tones (your landings), which are extensions (your colour), and which to pass through quickly.
Melody is built on three classes of notes over any chord:
Chord tones (Root, 3rd, 5th, 7th) are your landing zones — play them on strong beats (1, 2, 3, 4). They sound "right." Extensions (9th, 11th, 13th) add colour — play them on weak beats (& of 1, 2, 3, 4). They add sophistication. Avoid notes are scale tones that clash with the chord — bend through them, pass through them, never land on them.
Once you know which is which for each chord, every "scale run" becomes a melody.
The 4-minute MIDI walks through each chord context with plenty of space. Each part has its own job — practice ONE part per session.
Pure Bm9 vamp. Pentatonic playground. Practice landing on F# and D.
Alternates 2 bars Bm, 2 bars F/C. First taste of the chord change.
Bm → F/C → E/B → Bm. The actual song progression.
8 bars on the no-3rd chord. Major/minor freely.
16 bars of Dm9. Long modulation. Practice the Dorian colour.
2 bars Dm, 2 bars Bm, repeat. Train your ear to switch tonics.
8 bars Bm9. The resolution. End your phrase on F#.
The home chord. 75% of the song. Lush minor with the added 9 (C#) for sophistication. This is your "do anything" chord — pentatonic, blues, Aeolian all work.
F is the b5 of Bm. It's the "dirty" Albert King / SRV note. Use it ONLY as a passing tone or a bend target. Bend from E up to F, then continue to F#. Or bend from F# back down through F to E. Never land on F — it sounds wrong if held. G-string fret 10 or B-string fret 6.
Over the 16-bar Bm vamp (Part 2 of the MIDI), do this:
Bar 1-4: Land on F# at the start of every bar. Anything between.
Bar 5-8: Land on D at the start of every bar.
Bar 9-12: Land on A at the start of every bar (the Landau target).
Bar 13-16: Free improvisation, landing on a chord tone wherever feels right.
e|-----------------5----------------| B|--7-b(9)~~~~~~9-----10-12-15-12---| G|----------------------------------| F# bend to A | A B | A C D F# D (5)→b7 | b7 R | b7 9 b3 5 b3 The phrase STARTS by establishing the b7 (Landau move) and ENDS on b3 — a clear melodic arc.
The first passing chord. F major (F-A-C) sitting over a C bass note. This chord is BRIGHTER than Bm — the major 3rd (A) of F is a major chord quality. For 2 bars in the song, the harmony momentarily lifts.
F# is the 5 of Bm but it's the b5 of F major. Over the F/C chord, F# will clash badly. This is the SINGLE note you must consciously avoid when the chord changes from Bm to F/C. Move your F# (B-string fret 7) up to F (B-string fret 6) for those 2 bars, then back to F# when Bm returns.
Over Part 3 of the MIDI (Bm ↔ F/C alternation):
Over Bm: play F# (B-string fret 7) as your home note.
When F/C hits: slide F# DOWN one fret to F (B-string fret 6).
When Bm returns: slide F back UP to F#.
This single one-fret slide IS the melodic adjustment between the two chords. Hear it. Feel it. That's the whole secret of playing changes.
Bm bars: F/C bars: Bm bars: e|------7-----|-----5-----|-----7-----| B|-7-10-------|-6-10------|-7-10------| F# A B | F A C | F# A B 5 b7 R | R 3 5 | 5 b7 R (of Bm) (of F) (of Bm) The A note STAYS — common tone. F# moves to F (one fret down). B moves to C (one fret up). That's voice leading — no leaps, just smooth half-step motion.
The second passing chord. E major (E-G#-B) sitting over a B bass note. This is the SHIFT — G# is not in Bm's home scale. For 2 bars the harmony goes "outside," but the B bass keeps it anchored.
G natural (the b6 of Bm) clashes hard with G# (the 3 of E). Don't play G when the chord changes to E/B. Move from G (B-string fret 8) UP to G# (B-string fret 9) for those 2 bars. The fingering move is identical to the F→F# move with F/C — half-step adjustment ON the chord change.
Over the F/C → E/B → Bm sequence (Part 4 of MIDI), play this melodic shape:
F/C bars: Sustain A (B-string fret 10).
E/B bars: Slide A up to A# (B-string fret 11) then up to B (B-string fret 12). Or play G# directly (B-string fret 9).
Bm bars: Resolve down to F# (B-string fret 7).
The melody walks UP for tension, then resolves DOWN for release. Pure voice-leading drama.
Bm → F/C → E/B → Bm e|7--|--5----|---9----|--7---| B|10-|--10---|---9-12-|--10--| A | A | G# B | A 5 b7 | 3 of F | 3 of E | b7 (B b7)| (C 3) | (B 5) | (B b7) Each chord ADJUSTS one note: F# → F → F# (alternating) A stays put (common tone) G → G# → G (alternating) Three half-step adjustments drive the whole progression.
The chorus chord. No 3rd means no commitment to major or minor. This is the most permissive chord in the song — D works, D# works, F works, almost anything works.
Over Part 5 of the MIDI (8 bars of B no5):
Bars 1-2: Play minor — emphasise D (b3) and F (b5 blue).
Bars 3-4: Play major — emphasise D# (3) and A (b7 — works in major too).
Bars 5-6: Alternate D and D# rapidly — let the ambiguity ring out.
Bars 7-8: Land on F# and B (the only "safe" chord tones), let the chord cadence.
This is the song's chorus territory. Landau plays this exact ambiguity in bars 49-64.
e|--------------------| B|--------------------| G|--7-8-7-8-7---------| D|--------------------| D D# D D# D b3 3 b3 3 b3 Same string, adjacent frets. Slide back and forth. This IS the sound of "blues that doesn't commit."
The modulation chord. Section C of the song — the solo zone. Same note family as Bm pentatonic (4 shared notes), but you're now thinking D as home, NOT B. Plus you add the natural B (the Dorian 6th) — the "bright" note.
Bb is the b6 — it would make this scale Aeolian, not Dorian. Do NOT play Bb in the modulation section. The whole reason Section C sounds "modal" instead of "minor blues" is the natural B. Play Bb and the magic disappears — it'll sound gothic, not Dorian.
Over Part 6 of the MIDI (16 bars of Dm9):
Bars 1-4: Establish the new root — play D every bar 1. Use C (b7) as your descending move.
Bars 5-8: Add the natural B. Hit it sometime in each bar. Listen for the "lift" it creates.
Bars 9-12: Free improvisation in D Dorian.
Bars 13-16: Build to a climax — high register, F→G bends, end on a sustained A or D.
e|--12-9-11-12-11-9-11-9-11-12-9---| B|---------------------------------| D-A-C-D-C-A-C-A-C-D-A R-5-b7-R-b7-5-b7-5-b7-R-5 Pure Dm pentatonic except the RESOLUTION on D establishes Dorian via the surrounding natural B in other phrases. This is THE C-section lick. Memorise it.
Part 7 of the MIDI alternates 2 bars Dm with 2 bars Bm. Same key family, different home note. Your hands don't move — your mind does.
The note D exists in both keys:
When the chord changes from Dm back to Bm, the D note doesn't change role — it just demotes from "home" (root) to "characteristic minor 3rd." When the chord goes from Bm to Dm, D promotes from b3 to root.
Same physical note. Same fret. Same finger. Different mental relationship. That's the entire trick.
Bm bars: Dm bars: e|-------7-----|---10----| B|-----10------|---------| G|--7----------|---7-----| D F# A | D F A b3 5 b7 | R b3 5 The same fingering pattern! The note D anchors both. The only adjustment is mental: "home" shifts from B to D.
Don't try to internalise all five chords in one session. Pick ONE. Spend 30 minutes there. Come back tomorrow for another.
If you remember nothing else from this page, remember this map:
Three adjustments drive the whole song:
Master these three half-step moves and you're playing the changes — not just running a scale. That's melody.