Applicable for all instruments, this graded course on piano voicing skills starts with simple block chords over major and minor, then logically and methodically progresses into more exotic and advanced polychords and substitutions. These four voicings can be played and maybe should be played in succesion going upwards or downwards in reverse example in midi and mpeg3 65k. The main scales of western music are major and minor scales. It is important that the pinblock grips the tuning pins tightly enough that. Triads will more than likely be the first types of chords you.
This pdf contains a minor 251 line transcribed from a chet baker recording. The mechanism of the piano that causes hammers to strike the strings when a key is pressed is called the action. Therefore, he needs two different types of voicings. Use the general voicing guidelines from page 7, the left hand voicings reference sheet, and the included blues sheets to help. A piano voicings pdf that coincides with the first video session in my sneak peeks series is available and may serve you well in a couple of ways. The strings are held in place by steel tuning pins driven into a thick piece of wood called a pinblock. Upper structures are a nice sounding and simple way to voice altered dominant. The ust jazz piano chord voicing collection is a complete method to study and learn all possible upper structure triads voicings over the iim7 and v7. These structures are usually called upper structures. Basic left hand voicings useful when playing with a bass player. Basic rootless piano voicings by chris fitzgerald ex. This video gives you 10 of 28 different options for quartal voicings on dominant chords. Piano chord voicings for jazz combo the pianist has a few functions in a jazz combo.
Two beginning jazz piano voicings learn jazz standards. Upper structure piano voicings for piano voicings and improvisation is a unique, unprecedented piano method with comic strips teaching one upper structure a lesson. Step 3 figure out voicings for the 3 chords of the basic blues progression. I wanted to make a general point on writing 4note voicings for piano, and with only two notes available in the right hand, its better spent on upper extensions. In this manner a richer and more complex sound is created. This book is a complete guide to the captivating and complex chord voicings prevalent in modern jazz. Firstly, if you decide to get involved with that popular video session, you will have a reference chart for the voicings that are being played. There are many ways to expand and develop a chord voicings vocabulary. In addition, as you will see in this video demonstration, in an effort to maintain nice, smooth voice leading, it is something continue reading jazz piano voicings pdf. Upper structure fridays season 2 demo my favorite things. Jazz and rock voicings for the contemporary keyboard player unter. Im following up that post with this article on beginning jazz piano voicings.
Therefore we have the inversion shape of these chords as shown in fig. Quartal voicings tertiary harmony was a large part of jazz up until the 1950s and 1960s when a new style emerged. Ive written below each note its appropriate degree of the c major scale. Upper structures are analysed just like any other chord by looking at the notes they are composed of.
The pianist improvises a statement of the chord sequence, varying the choice of chords and their voicings p. Bill evans pioneered a technique of using rootless 4note voicings in his jazz piano playing. Piano voicings complete method and youtube series link to the related material. They are an easier way to think about complex chords. Whether he is channeling otis span or creating his own genre, there is no finer keyboard player.
Lid lid prop music desk fallboard key bed rim legs sustain pedal sostenuto pedal shift pedal una corda pedal caster. Sample f blues chorus shown using basic left hand chords, octave right hand melody, typical comping rhythms. Triads lesson supplement the triad is the basic building block of many different types of chord. Voicing is the process of changing the quality of the tone that the piano produces. Voicing is an important step in piano care and maintenance, and one that is often overlooked. Available altered upper structures quartals over v7. On the upper structures intro pdf file, on the 14th measure, is written so here are 5 upper structures than can be used over a c7 chord. Notice that the only differences between these scales relate to alterations of the 3rd and 7th scale degrees, as all other degrees are common to. In other words, quartal chords a fourth apart in this sequence. The above formula for close voicing is useful as a fundamental approach to divide chord notes between each hand while keeping the melody as the highest note on the piano. These advanced jazz piano chord voicings will totally. Quartal voicings are chord structures that are built using perfect 4th intervals.
When we look at all of the cluster voicings of five notes that can be used for cmaj7, including cmaj9, c69, cmaj, and others, the number of ways that cluster voicings color this chord quality is quite remarkable example 2. Upper structures over complete jazz standards progressions. Suppose we had a melody note of c that was to be harmonized with with a c major 7th or major 6th chord. I recently did a post about 12 beginning jazz guitar voicings. There are many ways of practicing and developing a piano voicings vocabulary. Get the entire course today and have instant access to all 21 upper structure fridays video lessons, corresponding video challenges, and entire jazz standard song demos, all seamlessly tied together by a 60 page full color book pdf or paperback. Bundle up and save big extended get all three books in pdf format now. Optionally, there is room for you to take the numbers in the key of c and transpose the voicings to other keys. And because they are all v7 chord, some of the voicings have equivalent tritone substitution upper. The rest can be found in our free sheet music download. Every scale determines a key,that is an harmonic combunation of tones. Another upper structure approach to building piano voicings includes berklee. Pete, unlike some artists, knows what he is doing and is a fine teacher. In the upper structures over complete jazz standards progressions book collection.
Jazz piano voicings built primarily with the interval of a perfect fourth p4, create a more open, spacious sound than voicings comprised of thirds and seconds. Piano improvisation technique corcoran high school. Upper structures piano chord voicings method in pdf format. This example is played with a d in the bass, but it might as well have been a f,ab or b. A standard approach in creating, learning andor developing voicings is stacking simple voicingsstructures on top of other simple ones.
These structureschordsvoicings are usually called upper structures quartals as structures quartal voicings have become a standard in modern jazz. This means of course that there are only three possible sets of voicings. The complete jazz standards repertoire using upper structures in pdf. Learning piano with pete sears pete sears brings an incredible knowledge of roots music to the table. This mechanism allows the pianist to quickly repeat a note without. The action then transfers the pianists blow to the hammers, which are made out of wood covered with felt, and they then strike the strings. Fourths piano voicings earl macdonald composer, jazz. The precision and rigid structure of tertiary harmony was opened up and replaced by the ambiguity of quartal harmony. Seasoned jazz players will often use a combination of various chord. Jazz pianists typically play these voicings when comping within a rhythm section, accompanying a soloist. My adventure with jazz piano chord voicings was born i was taking a saxophone lesson in my basement. A computermediated interface for jazz piano comping. A brief guide to piano fourth voicings introduction this article is intended to give you a basic command of the most useful piano chords voiced in fourths also known as quartal voicings.
They sound much better than block chords, but they arent too complicated. I did a big band chart on sandu recently and i wrote 5 and 6 note voicings in. Lets look at a quartal voicing that can be used for both major and minor chords. This sound is heard in the playing of mccoy tyner, chick corea and just about every pianist that has come after them. Click on the link to the pdf of easy jazz piano voicings. How to write simple, but effective, piano parts jazz. As an example, we take the c chord, and present examples for c major, minor and dominant variations. Transcribing from solos is the most effective way to learn to improvise. Yes, i was really fortunate to have the great pleasure of knowing someone who was an outstanding jazz performer, a super sax teacher who actually made house calls, and a great guy who later became world renowned continue reading jazz piano.
Below you can find a selection of downloadable pdf files containing the. First, he comps for, and interacts with, other players as they solo. In this manner, extensions and alterations often used in jazz can be added as expression while maintaining harmonic symmetry. All possible combinations of usts in a iim7 v7 progression in all keys extend version 650 pages. Many piano players incorrectly assume how a piano sounds now is just the way it is. An approach to jazz harmony scholarly repository university of. Jazz standards with upper structure triads and quartals. Andy laverne has taken his decades of experience as a first call jazz pianist and satisfied a long awaited need by creating this comprehensive compendium of.
These structures chords voicings are usually called upper structures quartals as structures quartal voicings have become a standard in modern jazz. However, though it can be ambiguous, quartal harmony is. Check out the piano voicings collection available in pdf and paperback. Combining quartal, so what and upper structure voicings can sound very. All possible upper structure triads on iim7 and v7 all possible combinations of usts in a iim7 v7 progression in all keys extend version 650 pages all possible upper structure quartals on iim7 and v7 this amazing collection is unique in the piano jazz world.
Pdf upper structure quartals piano voicings download. These voicings are very useful beginning jazz piano voicings. After ten years of teaching jazz combos and teaching private jazz lessons mostly to jazz pianists and jazz guitarists, ive learned to keep things simple in the beginning stages so students can experience success right off the bat. Quick fix voicings with inversions for better voice leading all musical examples taken from jazz piano handbook alfred publishing and used with permission month two. Let me show you the c7 c mixolydian b9 b pairing inside tessitura pro which uses the circle of fifths to study scales and modes heres the c mixolydian b9 b paired with the c dom7 chord now if we try to fit the graph of a minor triad inside the graph of a mixo b9 b we can find all possible triads contained in that scale. Also called closedposition voicings or mehegen voicings, they consist of two guide tones 3rd and 7th as well as two other notes 5th6th and root9th and are usually voiced with a guide tone as the bottom note such as 3, 5, 7, 9 or 7, 9, 3, 5. Memorize these voicings and get used to playing them from seeing just the chord symbol and not the written notes themselves. Jazz piano voicings this section will focus on the main aspects taken under consideration for the development of the present voicing algorithm. Piano voicings using upper structures introduction to the.
A standard approach is to stack simple structures triads, quartals, dyads on top of other simple ones, thus creating a richer color palette for your voicings. All possible upper structure triads on iim7 and v7. Quartal jazz piano voicings music instruction ebook by. Right hand can play single notes, octaves, triad shapes, upper extensions, or single line solos over the top. Being able to construct a wide range of chords and voicings is an essential skill for the jazz pianist. A standard approach in creating, learning andor developing voicings is stacking simple voicings structures on top of other simple ones. How to play 28 different quartal upper structures on dominant.