The Art of Piano Chord Voicings

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Piano Chord Voicings

There's lots of music talk about voicings. So, what are they to the musician? What is this all about?

The Art of Voicing is a manner in which one distributes or spaces the notes of chords. When you listen to music, you probably focus on the melody. That is the familiar part of a tune that is easy to hear.

When you sing along or hum throughout some of the music, it is the melody and not the background that you think of. To have this important part of the music stand out, the melody should be louder than the accompaniment. However, this is not always easy to do.

Every voicing should flow smoothly to the next one and your hands will more than likely be moving just a little. By voicing chords you bring attention to certain notes more than others. So sometimes instead of using a clear melody, artists play a bunch of double notes and chords. You should always voice all double notes and chords to give them more clarity.

If you are playing all the notes at the same volume, you cannot hear the melody very clearly. So you will want to pick out the one note in each chord to play a bit louder. This is what we mean by voicing.

If your hands are jumping all over the place, you are probably not using good voice leading. The art of voice leading is the smooth movement of notes from one chord to the next. Very often the note you should voice is on the top of the chord, but sometimes the middle voices have hidden melodies that are more interesting than the top voice.

When looking at a chord passage in your music, decide which voice needs more sound and which can be played softer. Listen to other recordings of pianists bringing out the top voice for each chord in the right hand.

With practice try playing the middle note of a chord louder than the other two notes. Next, focus on the bottom note of a chord. Think of chords being sung in a choir. Each note is a different voice such as bass, tenor, alto and soprano. Your ear will usually hear the soprano sing and ride on the melody line. Those wonderful harmony parts add so much color, flavor and tone in the background of the song.

Voicings become easier to play and you will discover that your hands are barely moving especially when it comes to shell voicings since the roots are moving down in fifths or up in fourths. Later on you will learn more left hand voicings in bebop style, rootless left hand voicings and rootless shell voicings. When the left hand plays the third and seventh of each chord, these rootless shell voicings allow the right hand the freedom to improvise.

Blues Piano Voicing (YouTube)

You may be interested in:

Jazz101 and Jazz201 or Tritones

*affiliate links in post*

All the best,






"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

Voicing 7th Chords

 A little bird told me you wanted to learn voicing 7th chords. Thanks for your emails.

 Here is what I have learned from Noah Baerman on voicing 7th chords.

7th chords open up a whole new world of possibilities. It is funny to think that just
one extra note per chord can greatly alter the sound, but dealing with 7th chords does
just that. Voicing becomes much more important now that we are using 7th chords.
More notes create more voicing possibilities. As jazz keyboardists, we strive to learn
what those possibilities are, how to execute them and what impact each one may have
on the overall sound.

Voice Leading

Here are two examples of voicings for a ii-V-I in Bb Major.

1. C/ CEbGBb
  
    F/CEbFA

    Bb/BbDFA

2. C/CEbGBb

    F/FACEb

    Bb/BbDFA

The first example makes more sense. Each voicing flows smoothly to the next one,
and the hands have to move very little to play the progression. In the second example
the sound is broken up, and the right hand has to jump around to play the chords.
The difference is that the first example uses good voice leading. Voice leading is the
smooth movement of voices (notes) from one chord tot he next. If your hands are
jumping all over the place, you're probably not using good voice leading, and the
music is unlikely to sound smooth or cohesive. To voice lead well, your hands should
use the least possible amount of energy. Imagine that, the easier it is to play, the better it sounds!

3. Example of a iii-vi-ii-V-I progression in F Major with good voice leading.

A/GACE (Amin7)

D/FACD (Dmin7)

G/GABbD (Gmin7)

C/GBbCE (C7)

F/FACE (FMaj7)

Each of the four voices in the right hand moves very little as the chords change.
Just like the individual singers in a choir, who can't jump around too much without 
getting tired and confused, the voices in a chord should avoid leaps whenever possible.
The bass notes move around more but that's inevitable when the roots are moving in large
intervals like 4ths and 5ths. Since the left hand is playing one note at a time, it is not
difficult to play.

We have more freedom with voicing when the left hand plays the roots. So far, we've
been playing four notes at a time in the right hand whenever we play 7th chords.
Now that we're getting  the hang of them, we can eliminate one of those notes.


4. The right hand can play the 3rd, 5th, and 7th of each chord. The left hand can take 
care of the roots.

D/FAC (Dmin7)

G/DFB (G7)

C/EGB

With this kind of voicing, the sound becomes more open. We don't lose the fullness
because all four notes of each chord are still being played. WE still use the same method
of voice leading, simply omitting the root from the right hand. Let's take the following
progression in B minor.

5. Roots in l.h. and 3rds, 5ths and 7ths  in r.h. with smooth voice leading.

B/ADF# (Bmin7)

E/BDG (Emin7)

B/ADF# (Bmin7)

G/BDF# (GMaj7)

C#/GBE (C#min7b5)

F#/A#C#E (F#7)

B/ADF# (Bmin7)

If we begin the progression with a different voicing for the first Bmin7 chord,
then the voice leading will naturally lead to other voicings for the rest of the chords,
since other voicings will be within easier reach.

6. Here's another way of voicing the same changes with the same technique.

B/DF#A (Bmin7)

E/DGB (Emin7)

B/DF#A (Bmin7)

G/DF#B (GMaj7)

C#/EGB (C#min7b5)

F#/C#EA# (F#7)

B/DF#A (Bmin7)


Hope these are helpful examples. You may want to visit these resources.

Advanced Gospel Courses

Gospel Core Essentials


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All the best,





"The beautiful thing about learning is that no one can take it away from you." B.B.King

The Mixolydian Mode and the Sus Chord

Image via Wikipedia

Over the past few days I received emails from readers asking me to talk about  suspended chords. I personally have learned so much from The Jazz Theory Book by Mark Levine. Are you familiar with this great music theory book? Another resource that I have purchased from Hear and Play is their theory book 300 Page Course Book

G Mixolydian is the scale, or mode, that is usually played over a Gsus chord. So you're playing all white notes: G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G. the difference between G7 and Gsus, the two chords that share the same g Mixolydian mode, is as follows: Pianists and guitarists voice sus chords so that the 4th doesn't sound like an 'avoid' note. A good definition of a sus chord is "a V chord in which the 4th doesn't sound like an 'avoid' note.

The "sus" in the chord symbol refers to the suspended 4th of the chord, in this case the note C. In traditional harmony, the 4th of a sus chord usually resolves down a half step to become the 3rd of a dominant 7th chord.

G/CFA = G sus
G/BFA = G7
In contemporary music, the 4th often doesn't resolve, which gives sus chords a floating quality.

On the piano, play the G Mixolydian mode first over the Gsus chord voicing in the left hand and then over a G7 chord and you'll hear the difference. Play the C by itself over each chord and the difference is more pronounced.

GCF/G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G  ... then play GBDF/G,A,B,C,D,E,F,G

Gsus = GCF/C
G7 = GBDF/C

Sus chords have been an everyday sound in jazz only since the 1960's, although Duke Ellington and Art Tatum were playing them in the 1930's and 1940's.

Students are constantly asking me "how do you voice a sus chord?" Here's a common G sus voicing:
G/CFA  Play the root (G) with your left hand while playing the major triad a whole step below the root (in this case F major) with your right hand. Note that the triad is in second inversion, meaning that the 5th of the triad (C) is on the bottom, instead of the root (F). Triads often sound strongest in second inversion. This voicing resolves so smoothly...
G sus = G/CFA  then play C/BEG

Listen to another common Gsus voicing:

G/CEFA   then play C/BDEG

Here's a different inversion:

G/FACE  then play C/GABD

Sus chords create tension and want to be resolved. (released)

Comments are welcomed and encouraged!
Thanks for stopping by.
I hope you enjoy your stay at LadyD Piano.

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Voicing

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 Voicing:

We've already seen how some of these chords have created problems when we try to play them. A chord of five or more notes is difficult to play with one hand and will sound muddy. We solve these problems through proper voicing. Usually voicing means either you split the chord between two hands or else you eliminate certain nonessential notes. The following examples illustrate both techniques.


Perhaps the easiest voicing maneuver is to play the chord's root with the left hand while playing the rest of the chord with the right. In some cases we see some interesting patterns when we break up a chord this way.

Cm7 =  C/Eb G Bb (Eb major)


Cmaj7 = C/E G B (Em)


Cm9 = C/Eb G Bb D (Ebmaj7)


C7-9 = C/E G Bb Db (Edim7)


* Alternate Voicing for seven flat nine:


C/Db E G Bb (Db dim7)


* Seven sharp nine (Best Voicing) 


C7+9 = C/E Bb Eb


* Possible Voicings for the Csus4, Csus7, or C11:


C/Bb D F (Bb major)


C/G Bb D F (Gm7)



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Chord Voicings

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Chord voicings are the types of chords to put with a song or progression. In gospel music, you'll deal with the M7th (major) voicing or the m7th (minor), Dealing with the I- IV- V, you'll most likely play 7th chords: I (7th) - IV (7th) - V (7th). And your minors will most likely be 7th chords also. Where is the 7th?


Learning scale degrees is important. Let's say you're in "C" and you want to play the 'C7'. you go up the keyboard from C, (I) and count seven. You should be on B so your chord will be: C E G B. That's your M7th chord... but that's not the chord you want. You want the dominant 7th chord, in which the 7th will be flatted. so you'll play: C E G Bb. Now that's your C7th chord.  The chords that are dominant and will be flatted are: C, F, C# (Db) and F# (Db).


Now the minor voicing is different. You will play the dom.7th but it's usually the 1st and the 4th that will be minor, the 5th is played as the regular dom. 7th going back into the I chord. Also, in most minor songs, you'll play the 5th as the 2nd chord change, for instance:


      L.H. / R.H. - Words
I -   CG/ Cm7 (2) - Lord, I know I've been changed
V - GD/ G7th (4) - Lord, I
I -  CG/ Cm7 (3) - Know I've
vi - AC#/ A7(b6) {GAC#F} - Been
ii - DA/ F#M7(b5) - Changed
V - GD/ B aug


Major 7 voicings are pretty. They give a nice lush sound to your playing. You can incorporate more chords into your playing. Let's start out with "C" which incorporates C, F, G or the I- IV- V. Now the CM7 chord is: CEGB and the IV is FM7 which is FACE. You will use these voicings for your I and IV and the 5th will always most likely be the G7th chord which is GBDF because it will bring you into the I chord or C... no matter what voicing, major or minor.


Your passing chords will be altered to keep the beauty of the chord structure. For instance, in the 7th voicing you will use 7th chords or diminished to go from one chord to another. In the M7 voicing, you'll use M7th chords. This will add a certain class and sophistication to your playing. This works wonderfully with slow and medium songs:


L.H. / R.H. - Words

______________ My
CG/ CM7 - Soul Loves
EB/ Em7 - Jesus, My
FC/ FM7 - Soul
GD/ FM7 - Loves
CG/ CM7 - Jesus
AbD/ Abdim6- My
AE/  AM7 - Soul Loves
DA/ CM7(b5) - Jesus
AbEb/ AbM7 - Bless His
GD/ FM7 - Name
GF/E (turnaround chord)


As a major 7th voicing, the chords are altered but not in such a way that it takes away from the song. In the left hand you mostly play the I and V (perfect 5th) except for the diminished where you play the I and + or raised 5th (sharpened)


Here's a very cool lesson on Rootless Chords by Willie Myette:

  http://www.pianoplayingtips.info/jazz-piano-lesson-e-lesson-11-rootless-chords


All the best,
LadyD


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Piano Lesson- Chord Voicing

It always amazes me when I hear different piano players and how they voice their chords. Voicing is one of those skills that is not talked about a lot but in my experience makes the biggest difference in a pianist’s overall sound.
What does voicing mean exactly? Simply put, voicing is the way chords are played which gives them their timbre or richness. In other words it’s how many notes are played, the distance between each of the notes and the quantity and quality of extensions.
There are literally thousands of ways to play a single chord. There are also millions of ways to play a chord progression if you consider that each chord can be played a thousand different ways. However, it’s likely a good idea to start off with a few solid possibilities instead of a thousand.
For example, let’s take a Cmaj7 chord. The chord itself is simple enough and is made up of C E G and B. However, depending on how rich you want the chord to sound you can also add D and A to the chord as extensions because D and A come from the C major scale and do not clash with the basic chord.
These are what we call extensions. In other words, a good pianist will already consider D and A in their chord voicing when they see the chord symbol Cmaj7. It doesn’t have to be written Cmaj7 (9 13) for them to understand this.
So, how would a pianist then voice this chord? Well, for starters, that depends on the melody. Whatever the melody note is will become the highest note of the chord. For example, let’s say D is the melody note of prominence while the chord is being played. That means that for a pianist our 9th is already understood as part of the chord and is the top note.
Next, it’s generally a good idea to play the bass note in the left hand which is C. Then the next 2 most important notes are the 3rd and the 7th because these notes give the chord its flavor. Consider playing the 7th in the left hand above the bass note. That would mean playing the C with finger 5 (baby finger) and B with finger 1 (thumb).
Then, play the 3rd, 5th and melody (9th) in the right hand with the 1st, 2nd and 5th fingers respectively. What’s left? The 13th or A which, you can cover with the 3rd finger of the right hand. So, from bottom to top you would have the notes in this order; C B E G A and D. That right there is a very rich sounding chord and you’d have to go a long way to find one richer.
However, this is only one way of voicing the chord. Like I said there are literally thousands of ways. My suggestion is this; learn one way at a time until it becomes second nature. Voicing the root and 7th in the left hand and covering the 3rd and the melody in the right hand is a very good system to start with. Then with your left over fingers in the right hand cover the 5th and any other extension that’s available. This works for all chords including major, minor, dominant and diminished chords.
Once you’ve learned this way of voicing chords it becomes much easier to tackle a new formula because this one is already clear and concrete and will help you hear very clearly the difference between the chords. Until next time, keep practicing.
* Jazz Piano Lesson E-lesson #12 [2-5-1 with Rootless Chords]- jazzpianolessons


* Piano Lessons - Phat Chord Voicings Ch. 2 (Updated)- playpianotoday.com

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbZqCtf5c8I
* Piano Chord Voicing Tips- expertvillage

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JSJ3PH5KdPI
* Gospelkeysurban.com-Learn Phat Chords Musicians Don't Share!- HearandPlay

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IggaFMuVbKM&featured=related

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