Message number: 23782
first, identify the related diminished 7th chord, which corresponds to the original dominant. all dominant 7th chords contain a diminished triad, between the 3rd, 5th, and 7th. (for instance, in a g7 chord, the internal diminished triad is bdim.) add one more minor 3rd on top of that (ab), and complete the diminished 7th chord.
when you have that, the first thing to know is that it can be used as a substitute for the original dominant chord. when coupled with the original root, you get the flat nine alteration automatically. of course, the diminished 7th chord can be played in any inversion; use whatever works best for voice-leading purposes.
this, however, is just the beginning. there is a two-handed voicing that involves using this diminished 7th substitute in the left hand, but something different in the right hand.
the right hand's tones form what is sometimes referred to as a "c-form" dominant voicing (of which there are two types). type one uses the 7th, #9th, 3rd, and #5th of the original dominant chord, in that order. type two uses the same tones in a different distribution: 3rd, #5th, 7th, #9th.
examples:
for g7alt, do this -
in your left hand, play fdim7 (an inversion of bdim7), and in your right hand, play the type 1 "c-form" voicing, which consists of the pitches f, a#, b, d#. this is all over a bass note of g, provided by the bass player.
now this -
in your left hand, play bdim7, and in your right hand, play the type 2 "c-form" voicing, which consists of the pitches b, d#, f, and a#. again, this is over a bass note of g.
when you can play these voicings, a common mannerism is to move from the #9 to the b9 in the voicings before resolving to i. you can optionally include that in the right hand's voices if you choose. it's a common technique.these voicings work extremely well for regular dominants, as well as for secondary dominants, regular ii-v7-i progressions, minor ii-v7-i progressions, turnarounds, etc. they don't work well in traditional blues, though, and they're not intended for that.
i hope you try them out, and find them useful!
ben blau
There are no comments, leave a comment.
Jazz Piano Notebook Series
Volume 1 of this educational jazz piano book contains 15 jazz piano exercises, tricks, and other interesting jazz piano techniques, voicings, grooves, and ideas Scot Ranney enjoys playing.
"Latinesque"
Volume 2 has 14 jazz piano exercises and tricks of the trade, and quite a bit of it is Calypso jazz piano related material, including some Monty Alexander and Michel Camilo style grooves. Jazz piano education is through the ears, but books like this can help.
Volume 3 contains 12 jazz piano exercises and explorations by the acclaimed jazz piano educator, pianist, author, and recording artist Tim Richards.
Tim wrote the well known "Exploring Jazz Piano" and "Improvising Blues Piano" books and has several others to his name.
Volume 4 is by Jeff Brent, a jazz pianist, composer, teacher, and author of "Modalogy" and other acclaimed jazz theory and education books. In this book Jeff shares detailed analysis of transcriptions of live performances. He covers everything from the shape of the songs to the tricks and licks he uses in improvised lines to the ideas behind his lush chord voicings.
Most Recent Discussions
Articles
Piano for Adoption Scam
Aprender Jazz en Piano
BEWARE: FREE BABY GRAND PIANO SCAM
Oh Tannenbaum for Jazz Piano
Volume 5 of the "Jazz Piano Notebook Series" is Available!
LearnJazzPiano.com File Downloads News
more...
Top Sheetmusic Picks
Jazzy Christmas Arrangements
Cocktail Piano
Best Songs Ever, 6th Edition
Christmas Medley
Moana Songbook
Late Night Jazz Piano
Jazz piano education is cool.
Rock on. Follow your passion.
Sign In
LearnJazzPiano.com Copyright © 1995-2024 by Scot Ranney • website software and design by scot's scripts
LearnJazzPiano.com is For Sale - Serious Inquiries Only