| LearnJazzPiano.com archives: Cool voicings | |
| pianochap -- 08/09/2005, 14:09:06 -- #17439 | |
| I need to expand my repertoire of voicings, and I thought it would be fun to have a thread of current favourites. I'll start out with this one: On Am7b5, play LH: C-G-B RH: Eb-G-D A couple of observations: - We've got that sweet natural ninth, the B - The doubled note doesn't appear to be a problem - since there is a relatively large interval at the bottom, and it's a 5th, it works quite well in low registers - nice voice leading to F#-C F-Bb-(D or Eb) - also nice as a voicing for Cm(maj7) | |
| Paul -- 08/09/2005, 14:46:18 -- #17440 | |
| I ussually play two notes in one hand and three or sometimes four in the other. For example: Am7b5: LH G-C-Eb RH B-D I think Phil DeGregs book, and Frank Mantooths book are great for this kind of stuff. Also I saw something that Andy Levine wrote in KB magazine that was such an easy way to get great sounding voicing. It basically was stacking rootless voicings and regular old triads on top eachother. For example: D7#5#9: LH F#-C RH Bb-D-F (regular old Bb major traid) Try playing those two voicings one after eachother and resolve to Gm7. In this case I might voice Gm7 like this: LH F-A-Bb-D RH A-C Hope this makes sense. Paul | |
| pianochap -- 08/09/2005, 17:10:33 -- #17442 | |
| I don't have Frank's book yet, but I do like Phil's, which is where I got the voicing I started the thread with. Yes, that triad over tritone (or other LH voicing) thing is fertile ground. Mark Levine's chapters on Upper Structures are good for that. I was just playing Nica's Dream, which starts with Bbm(maj7) to Abm(maj7). I found the following effective for comping: G-C# F-A-C F-B Eb G Bb These are of course common voicings for A7alt and G7alt which share the same parent melodic minor scales (Bbmelmin and Abmelmin). | |
| albetan -- 08/09/2005, 18:20:00 -- #17445 | |
| Hi Pianochap: See these files at Albetan's Area: A & B Forms of voicings, Performing Jazz lead sheets, Quartal vocings for Piano. | |
| jmderay -- 08/10/2005, 08:43:55 -- #17464 | |
| Already seen in a previous thread : those ones, sound cool : Dm7b5 ... L.H. D and C. ... R.H. F, Ab, and C. G13b9 ... L.H. G and F. ... R.H. B, E, G# and B. Cm7 ... L.H. C and G. ... R.H. Bb and Eb. F13b9 ... L.H. F and Eb. ... R.H. A, D and F#. | |
| SolArt -- 08/10/2005, 14:21:25 -- #17482 | |
| Check this out... G13 E G LH. B RH. D (Skip an octave) F B G G+5+9 D# Bb (Keep same range) B G F D Bb Play these 2 chords in succession, the LH around middle C, the RH up high. I like the natural 5th clashing with the +5. SPICY, Man! | |
| SolArt -- 08/10/2005, 14:22:59 -- #17483 | |
| These are to be played stacked straight of course, (hick) | |
| 7 -- 08/11/2005, 02:30:45 -- #17495 | |
| Use the force message formatting Luke Check this out... G13 E G LH. B RH. D (Skip an octave) F B G G+5+9 D# Bb (Keep same range) B G F D Bb Play these 2 chords in succession, the LH around middle C, the RH up high. I like the natural 5th clashing with the +5. SPICY, Man! | |
| SolArt -- 08/11/2005, 05:27:36 -- #17500 | |
| Check. | |
| grsbmd -- 08/11/2005, 13:15:50 -- #17502 | |
| A cool rootless 2-5-1 in C. Dm: G-C-F A-E G7: F-B-E Gb-B-E C6: E-A-D G-B-D Kind of has a "Now he sings, Now he sobs" sound. | |
| 7 -- 08/11/2005, 14:30:03 -- #17503 | |
| Didn't you actually mean: Dm: G-C-F A -- E G7: F-B-E Ab-B-E C6: E-A-D G--B-D | |
| Ole -- 08/11/2005, 17:01:38 -- #17508 | |
| What is the best book when it comes to new voicings? | |
| pianochap -- 08/11/2005, 19:27:16 -- #17511 | |
| Thanks for the great contributions. Keep 'em coming. I wonder if any other folks learned their rootless A and B position voicings pretty well over ii-V-I, but find themselves reaching for basic closed root position voicings when a diminished chord shows up... Raising the top note a whole step is nice: Co: C-Eb-Gb-B (as we know, a whole step above any chord tone of a dimished chord is in the corresponding diminished scale) Here's a simple open position formula: Two tritones, a minor third apart. Co: C-Gb A-Eb Now add a fourth on top: Co: C-Gb A-Eb-Ab There's that tritone + fourth shape that's so common. Using it in both hands, a *major* third apart, we have: Co: C-Gb-B Eb-A-D I think that last shape is a bit dicy that low, but is fine a half step up for Dbo. Thanks to the wonderful symmetry of the diminished scale, all of these can be moved around in minor thirds to great effect. One more: Minor third (or minor tenth) + second inversion triad a tritone away: Co: C-Eb A-D-F# I find it a helpful memory aid to identify common shapes in each hand, but I suppose there's no substitute for lots of drill in all keys! - Richard | |
| Brotherdavies -- 08/12/2005, 03:56:01 -- #17513 | |
| These chords all sound good. Some advice on practical application would be useful. When playing solo piano standards - can these rootless voicings be used? eg I am playing 'Autumn in New York' and Am7b5 occurs a few times. Is it essential to include the bass when playing solo standards ? Doesn't the bass define the shape of the song? Bro' | |
| groyann -- 08/12/2005, 06:52:45 -- #17516 | |
| I think the root, even in solo, is not always necessary. When playing solo you can sometimes use rootless voicings. I play an written arrangement of Misty for piano solo in which there are sometimes (2 or 3 times) rootless ii-V7 voicings. I think you should not do this all along the head. I believe 3rd and 7th are already defining the quality of the chords. But I like to play the root on Major chords. | |
| Wintemute -- 08/12/2005, 09:42:08 -- #17517 | |
| Hey @ SolArt: This was yous: D# Bb (Keep same range) B G F D Bb goes to: E B C# G# F# E B goes to: F# G# D# F G# C# G# what do you think about that solution? | |
| SolArt -- 08/12/2005, 15:27:43 -- #17524 | |
| As a chord progression starting from the first one which isn't indicated; well it goes elsewhere doesn't it so it all depends on the rhythm & more chords. It's not meant to have a "solution". But why not? To add on to my prior post. G A G F D E C D D Eb LH. Bb RH. D LH. Bb RH. C LH. A RH. C E A E G Eb G F (Easier to post horizontally) 'Kind of basic but effective. O O V ((U)) | |
| SolArt -- 08/12/2005, 15:34:31 -- #17525 | |
| What do I think, hmn... Wintemute your add-ons sound like a modulation is taking place. | |
| pianochap -- 08/13/2005, 14:44:34 -- #17565 | |
| Any good suggestions for rich m7 solo piano voicings, where the 3rd is in the melody? I'm working on the verse of "Bewitched" in Eb, so there are lots of Gm7's with Bb on top. So far, I'm liking: G-D-A Bb-F-Bb (like the so-called Kenny Barron voicing of stacked fifths a semitone apart, but this time with a fourth on top) G-C-F Bb-D-Bb Thanks. | |
| Dr. Whack -- 08/13/2005, 15:29:00 -- #17567 | |
| hmmm...how about: G-D-Bb C-D-F-Bb or G-F-Bb C-D-F-Bb | |
| pianochap -- 08/14/2005, 15:32:45 -- #17596 | |
| Thanks, Dr. Whack, those are worthy. I guess it's also OK just to be simple for once, and do: G-F Bb-D-Bb. | |
| Dr. Whack -- 08/14/2005, 17:09:22 -- #17597 | |
| heh - yeah, sometimes less is more. I've been moved more by simple things than most complicate things:) | |
| SolArt -- 08/14/2005, 18:18:25 -- #17600 | |
| Here's one for Gm9 in a wide LH. voicing: F A Bb D A Also good for Bbmaj7 | |
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