How to Build Solos Around Chord Tones
Landing on one chord note on the strong beat (see [[targeting-chord-tones-in-solos:the article on targeting chord tones]]) is a good start. The next level is deliberately choosing WHICH note of the next chord to land on, based on how it connects to the previous one, rather than picking it separately each time.
Voice leading: minimal movement between chords
Between two neighboring chords there's almost always a pair of notes physically close in pitch - choosing exactly that target instead of a random note of the next chord gives a smooth, 'singing' line instead of leaps. It's the same principle that guides voices in vocal harmony, applied to a single-line solo.
You don't always have to head for the next chord's root
It's tempting to land on the new chord's root at every change, but that doesn't always give the smoothest movement - if the next chord's third or fifth is physically closer to the note you just played, moving there often sounds more natural than a leap to the root.
Sevenths and extensions give more voice-leading options
Adding the seventh to the set of target notes (see the article on arpeggios) gives you more chances to find a physically close note on every chord change - four notes instead of three noticeably raises the odds of a smooth transition with no leap.
Drill: only target notes, no connecting notes
Play a progression using only the chords' own target notes, with no scale notes in between - one note per chord, chosen specifically for closeness to the previous one. This drill isolates voice leading from the rest of the phrasing, showing just how smooth the line of target notes alone can sound.
Then add scale notes around the line you found
Once the smooth line of target notes is found and sounds confident, add passing scale notes between them (see the article on phrasing) - the smooth target-note line stays the phrase's backbone, the scale just fills in the space between its anchor points.
Try it in practice
Open chord trainer