Check as many boxes as you like across Triad, Seventh/Sixth, and Tensions below — each one adds to the pool of chord qualities that can come up (root still comes from the Roots section above). Check just one triad and one seventh and it'll always play that same quality; check more and it'll vary each time.
9th
11th
13th
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Ways to practice with this (95)
95 ways to use the drone, grouped by what you're actually training. Click any of them to load its exact setup below — roots, qualities, tensions, timing, all of it.
Difficulty: more bars filled = harder, up to 5
Learning to name what you hear before you see it.
Major vs. minorSet up →
Check only Major and Minor under Triad, name which one before revealing.
Add diminished and augmentedSet up →
All four Triad qualities on — name the quality by ear each time.
Triad vs. seventhSet up →
Compare "None (bare triad)" against Major 7th on the same quality; hear exactly what the 7th adds.
Major 7 vs. dominant 7Set up →
The two "consonant-ish" sevenths that trip people up most — isolate just these two.
Diminished vs. augmentedSet up →
Both have a tense, unresolved quality that's easy to mix up on their own — compare them side by side instead of isolating just one.
Sixth vs. minor's dominant 7thSet up →
6th and a minor triad's dom7 sound deceptively close — isolate and compare them back to back.
Sus chords, no tensionsSet up →
Sus2 and Sus4 only. Learn to hear "no third" before adding anything on top of it.
Every seventh quality at onceSet up →
All five Seventh/Sixth boxes on, one triad quality — name the seventh type on the fly.
Full quality gauntletSet up →
Every Triad and every Seventh/Sixth box on, nothing else — call the full quality (not the root) before revealing.
Call the intervals, not the notesSet up →
After naming the quality by ear, spell it as root-3rd-5th(-7th) intervals before you check — that's the learnable version of "spelling" a chord, no perfect pitch required.
Pitch recognition, not just color recognition.
Name the rootSet up →
Peek the first chord to set a reference pitch, then judge each new root relative to that anchor before checking — reference-based guessing, not absolute pitch.
Root motion by intervalSet up →
Four roots spanning uneven distances (C, Db, E, G) — name the actual size and direction of the jump each time, not a coin flip between two known options. Add more roots to the pool for a harder version once this feels easy.
Inversions, spottedSet up →
Turn on "Allow inversions and slash chords" and identify root position vs. inverted before revealing.
Bass note vs. chord toneSet up →
With slash chords on, sing the bass note separately from the quality sitting above it, then check whether it was an inverted chord tone or a true slash bass — you're isolating register and relationship, not naming absolute pitches.
Slash-chord spellingSet up →
Figure out which chord tone is in the bass — 3rd? 5th? 7th? — before Show Chords confirms it.
Freeze and sing the rootSet up →
Hit Freeze mid-drone, sing the root from memory, then Show Chords to check yourself.
Freeze and sing the chordSet up →
Same idea, but sing root–3rd–5th(–7th) as an arpeggio before checking.
Back-and-forth interval drillSet up →
Use ← Back / Next → to bounce between two roots repeatedly until that interval is automatic both directions.
How chords actually move in real tunes.
ii-V motion, roughlySet up →
Check Minor and Dominant, Circle of Fifths — you'll get a real mix of ii-type and V-type qualities moving by fifths, though it won't strictly alternate ii-V-ii-V the way an actual progression would.
Full cycle of fifthsSet up →
Let a whole 12-root cycle run uninterrupted. Worth naming honestly: with one quality checked, this is a transposition drill — the same shape moved everywhere — not functional harmony, since nothing about the quality itself ever changes.
Cycle of fourthsSet up →
Same transposition drill on Circle of Fourths — fourths is the direction real tunes actually resolve in, but one static quality moving through it still isn't functional harmony on its own.
Static root, changing qualitySet up →
One root, multiple qualities checked — hear color change with the key center held still.
Two-root key-center drillSet up →
Clear down to two roots a 5th apart, one quality, and treat it like a I–V pair to internalize.
Chromatic root motionSet up →
All 12 roots, Step Up Selected — a genuine chromatic run through every half-step, not two roots ping-ponging. Try Step Down too, or narrow the roots for a shorter run.
Whole-tone root motionSet up →
The six-note whole-tone set (C, D, E, Gb, Ab, Bb), Step Up Selected — a real ascending whole-tone run, a less common motion that's still worth owning.
Cycle plus a tensionSet up →
Circle of Fifths with one tension always on — hear how the same color feels as the function keeps changing.
Fifths vs. fourths, comparedSet up →
Run the same quality through both cycles back to back — it's the same set of roots, felt in opposite directions.
Using the drone as a practice rhythm section.
Comp one static qualitySet up →
One root, one quality, Metronome mode — comp rhythm patterns against a real pulse with zero harmonic changes to track.
Comp changing roots, same qualitySet up →
ALL roots, one quality — focus entirely on voice-leading between changes.
Comp changing qualities, same rootSet up →
One root, multiple qualities — isolate how a voicing's shape changes under a fixed root.
Metronome-locked compingSet up →
Duration Mode: Metronome, pick a Bars count, and comp in strict time instead of an arbitrary timer.
Slash-chord compingSet up →
Only inversions and slash chords on — voice the correct bass note under every single comp, not just the upper structure.
Determine the chord qualitySet up →
Use your instrument to help you work it out — play notes, test intervals against what you hear, whatever gets you there — before checking against the reveal.
Comping with restraintSet up →
Comp as if there's a singer or horn player who needs room — play less than feels natural, and notice how little harmonic information you actually need to state.
Rootless voicingsSet up →
For every chord, deliberately leave the root out of your voicing since the drone already states it.
One voicing, every rootSet up →
Pick a single voicing shape and see how far around the cycle you can carry it before it stops working.
Melodic practice with a moving (or static) target.
Same static setup, restricted to arpeggiating the chord tones.
Target the 3rd and 7thSet up →
Turns on the Next-chord preview — check it as each chord starts, work out its 3rd and 7th, then land your first note there right as the next change hits.
Motif developmentSet up →
Play a 3–4 note idea, then let it evolve as the chord changes underneath it.
Call and response with yourselfSet up →
Play a phrase, leave space, answer it as the next chord arrives.
EnclosuresSet up →
Next-chord preview on — approach the upcoming target note by half-step above and below, landing on it right as the chord actually changes.
Outside and backSet up →
Over a locked static chord, deliberately play a half-step outside and resolve back in.
Rhythmic displacementSet up →
Play the exact same lick, but start it on a different beat every time the chord changes.
Space and silenceSet up →
Solo with more rests than notes — let the chord changes do some of the work for you.
Drill mechanics over a held chord, so the pattern stays tied to real harmony instead of abstract finger motion. These are self-paced — clicking one Starts the drone already frozen on a chord; move it with Next → when you're ready.
Scale patterns, static chordSet up →
Thirds, fourths, whatever pattern you're drilling — the held chord keeps every note honest about whether it's a chord tone or a tension.
Arpeggio speed buildsSet up →
One held chord — gradually raise your own tempo running the arpeggio until it's clean at speed.
Position shiftingSet up →
Play the held chord's scale or arpeggio in every position on the neck, then move the chord and do it again.
String-skipping patternsSet up →
Drill string-skipping over a held chord — the harmony underneath keeps the pattern musical instead of a blind finger exercise.
Alternate picking to the clickSet up →
Metronome mode at a fast tempo, held chord — drill clean alternate picking locked to the click.
Legato runsSet up →
Hammer-ons and pull-offs instead of picking — work a run over the held chord until it's even and smooth, then move on.
Sweep-picked arpeggiosSet up →
Held chord — drill a sweep shape that matches that exact quality until the pick hand tracks it cleanly.
Full-neck arpeggio mappingSet up →
One held chord — find and play every occurrence of the arpeggio across the whole fretboard before moving on.
Endurance sheddingSet up →
One chord, very long auto-advance — play continuously through fatigue the way you would in a real long solo section (don't freeze this one).
Using Duration Mode, BPM, and Bars on purpose.
Metronome mode basicsSet up →
Switch Duration Mode to Metronome — feel changes land on the barline instead of a countdown.
Slow-tempo controlSet up →
Low BPM, long Bars count per chord — plenty of time to choose notes deliberately.
Fast-tempo reactionSet up →
High BPM, short Bars count, Keys sound so each chord lands the instant it changes — force quick harmonic reactions.
Odd bar groupingsSet up →
Set Bars to 3 or 5 instead of 4 — practice phrasing that doesn't fall into default 4-bar habits.
Tempo rampSet up →
Raise the BPM every few minutes on the same material, building real speed gradually.
Subdivided compingSet up →
Metronome mode — comp one specific subdivision (straight 8ths, triplets) consistently through every change.
Anticipation practiceSet up →
Next-chord preview on — land the upcoming chord's target note a hair before the change actually lands, jazz-style anticipation.
Staying interesting on one chordSet up →
How long can you keep things interesting on just one chord?
Polyrhythmic phrasingSet up →
Over a static chord in Metronome mode, deliberately phrase in groups of 3 against the 4-feel click.
Just listenSet up →
Play nothing — just listen and absorb the sound and feeling of the chord.
Tensions and altered color, isolated and combined.
One tension at a timeSet up →
Check just b9 over a dominant chord, nothing else, and sit with that one color — sing the tension against the chord, find it on your instrument, learn its specific bite. Then swap it for natural 9, then #9, absorbing each on its own before you'd ever try to tell them apart by ear.
Natural vs. altered 9thSet up →
A/B compare "9" against "b9" and "#9" back to back on the same chord.
Lydian vs. IonianSet up →
The drone alternates maj7#11 and plain maj7. Play Lydian over the #11 chords — the raised 11 is a color tone you can sit on. Play Ionian over the plain maj7 chords, where the natural 11 is an avoid note: lean on it briefly to hear the clash, then resolve off it. Same chord family, two different jobs for the 11.
b13 vs. natural 13Set up →
Same comparison, for the top tension this time.
Stacked altered tensionsSet up →
b9, #9, and #11 together over a dominant chord for a full "altered" sound.
Complex/unusual tensions onSet up →
Check "Include complex/unusual tensions" and let genuinely rare combinations surprise your ear.
Resolve the dominantSet up →
Sets Resolve Dominants → Major, so the drone alternates a real dominant with its actual tonic. Sing or play where each dominant wants to go before it lands — try → Minor too.
Maj7#11 in isolationSet up →
Major 7th plus #11 only — the classic "Lydian" comping color, drilled on its own.
Minor 9/11 in isolationSet up →
Minor 7th with natural 9 and 11 — the Dorian-flavored minor sound, isolated from the rest.
Full altered-dominant vocabularySet up →
Dominant quality, every tension box checked — comp or solo through the "everything's available" sound.
For once the individual pieces above aren't the hard part.
Everything onSet up →
Every root, every quality, every tension — react to whatever comes with zero preparation.
Fast reflex, eyes closedSet up →
Everything on, eyes closed — react purely by ear and feel.
Name it before you play itSet up →
Everything on — call out the quality out loud before your first note.
One-note reactionSet up →
Everything on, but only one note allowed per chord: the first thing your ear finds.
No repeatsSet up →
Chaos setting, but you're not allowed to play the same lick twice across the whole session.
Quick-comp reflexSet up →
Everything on — comp just one stab per chord, as fast and clean as you can.
Tempo-pushed chaosSet up →
Chaos setting, fast Metronome tempo, Keys sound so nothing gets lost in a swell — the hardest combination the tool can produce.
Chaos with a fixed target toneSet up →
Everything on, but you must always resolve to one chosen note (like the tonic) no matter what hits.
Treating the drone as a writing tool, not just a drill.
Steal a progressionSet up →
Freeze on a chord you like, note it down, and build the next few by ear like writing a tune.
Play as melodically as possibleSet up →
Focus entirely on note selection over the changes — no runs, no licks, just the most singable line you can find.
Transcribe-style dictationSet up →
Freeze a chord and work out its structure by ear — root, 3rd, 5th, 7th as intervals, not absolute note names — then confirm the actual spelling with Show Chords.
Slow-motion voicing studySet up →
Long duration, one chord — try three totally different voicings for the same symbol and compare them.
Answering-machine gameSet up →
Treat each new chord as a question a bandmate just asked, and answer it compositionally before it changes.
Two-chord vamp songwritingSet up →
Clear roots down to two, one quality, and write a short original idea over just that loop.
Playing a role, not just playing notes.
Trade foursSet up →
Every chord change, alternate between comping for four "bars" and soloing for four.
Rhythm-section lockSet up →
Metronome mode — comp exactly with the click, as if a drummer were depending on your time.
Vocalist simulationSet up →
Sing a simple melody over the changing chords as if you were the singer, guitar silent.
Duo compingSet up →
Alternate chords between two different voicings or registers, as if trading comping duties with a second guitarist.
Feature-the-bass drillSet up →
Solo using only the lowest strings/frets available, simulating a bass feature.
Listening-only roundSet up →
Let a full cycle play through without playing anything — pure ear training for what a bandmate might do.
Live-arranging simulationSet up →
Decide in real time whether each new chord wants comping, soloing, or silence from you, like reading a bandstand.