Drop 2 voicings drop 2 voicings take a normal voicing and drop the second highest note by an octave. To fully comprehend the contents of this page you should be familiar with basic jazz harmony and theory. In this article were going to take a look at three piano comping practice tips. Construction of drop ii voicings university of surrey. Excerpts from typical jazz piano arrangements have been included to show how they are used in practical application. Most often used for comping, two handed voicings are integral to solo playing, improvising and arranging. This pdf serves as a compliment to a free lesson that i created emphasizing the rewards of smooth voice leading. Rootless voicings from scratch jason lyon on music. If you are advanced enough you can even play melodies with two hands by making the melody note the same as the top note of your chord. Closed voicings where all the chordtones are within an octave can be tricky to play on the guitar. Learn how to apply 10 new piano chords to the jazz tune autumn leaves. Free stuff national jazz workshop a summer jazz camp.
Known as so what voicings, the notes of these two handed chords are arranged with a major third above a stack of perfect fourth intervals. Rootless voicings are also known as left hand voicings or bill evans voicings so be aware that these three terms refer to the same thing. Triads will more than likely be the first types of chords you. Piano chord voicings for jazz combo the pianist has a few functions in a jazz combo. Piano comping practice tips cocktail piano lessons. The newest jazz piano chords pdf that i recently made available features those piano chords and voicings that i used during an eight bar segment of a piano video tutorial i created which focuses on the classic harold arlen tune paper moon. Not only are we going to learn 10 new jazz chords but well also learn how to apply them to the tune autumn leaves. Basic rootless piano voicings chris fitzgerald jazz. For our purposes, all voicings built up from the 3rd will be referred to as type i voicings, and those built up from the 7th will be called type ii.
Jazz pianists typically play these voicings when comping within a rhythm section, accompanying a soloist. Welcome to this lesson on open position rootless voicings. One very important role is to provide harmonic support to the soloists throughout the performance. Jazz piano basics dan davey usually, the guide tones resolve within a step to the next chord. Rootless chord voicings were developed in the 1950s by pianists like bill evans, wynton kelly and ahmad jamal. Hopefully these examples will inspire you to explore other ideas as well as study some of the other piano accompaniments prevalent in modern piano driven songwriting. Chord voicings learn both one handed and two handed voicings for the tune you memorized in the first 15 minutes. The voicings are typically comprised of 4 notes, usually excluding the root.
This handout is the second in a twopart series of reference voicings for the jazz pianist. One big difference in terms of technique has to do with the use of the left hand. This is an short encyclopedia with 12 voicings for most of the chords jazz pianists are likely to encounter. Gain some insight into 2 handed voicings in this jazz piano method lesson clip. The formulas work well for all the basic chord types. When learning a jazz standard, if i decide i want to alternate closed voicings with open voicings for smooth transitions, and if i intend to play these chords as block all notes at roughly the same time, how would one approach adding the melody on top. Open chord voicings spread voicings the jazz piano site. From rooted voicings that are perfect for solo piano, to modern 4ths and clusters, youll develop a solid left hand that works in any situation. While left hand voicings are suited to right hand soloing or melody, the jazz pianist needs to know how to comp in other words, accompany other soloists. If you dont know anything about chords or cant figure out chord symbols first study. However, when used in conjunction with other drop 2 positions, it really sounds rather impressive.
Substitute 6 for 7 in the formulas for maj6 and min6 chords. Jazz chord voicings for two hands santorella publications ltd. Here, start twohanded voicings with the third inversion of the chord in order to do some basic comping. The drop 2 piano chord voicing jazz piano voicings. Twohanded voicings we now move on to an oftenneglected aspect of jazz piano, and that is comping. He teaches music at the idaho arts charter school, and is the jazz adjunct professor at northwest nazarene university. Encyclopedia of twohand jazz piano voicings learn jazz. This handout shows piano voicings for playing the blues in f and the blues in b flat. The drop 2 piano chord voicing will become your friend very quickly if you just give yourself a fair amount of time acquainting yourself with it. Voicings on the piano left hand lh consistently plays the 37th of the chord, along with additional notes as. 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.
Bill evans pioneered a technique of using rootless 4note voicings in his jazz piano playing. Mar 15, 2016 this pdf will be a big help to many jazz pianists and other instrumentalists who want to get better at voicing chords in their left hand. Triads lesson supplement the triad is the basic building block of many different types of chord. A 1hour daily jazz piano practice routine keyboard improv. Back then, when i didnt know better, i had a pretty rough concept of two handed voicings. A and b voicings are one of the most useful and great sounding voicings that i constantly use. So, if youre an intermediate jazz pianist, or you just got started with jazz and are interested in taking your left hand to the next level, then this lesson is for you. D below middle c up to a above middle c when these voicings are performed, its important that the pianist learn them in. Based on a transcription of red garland improvising over the title track of john coltranes 1957 album with the red garland trio traneing in, part 1 introduces the versatile open. The basic approach is to take the third and sixth voicings aka fourway close and drop the second from top tone down an octave.
Jazz chordstwo handed comping voicings lesson youtube. Open studio gain some insight into 2handed voicings in. Sample f blues chorus shown using basic left hand chords, octave right hand melody, typical comping rhythms. Just a little idea of two handed block chords and how it works.
Its influence extends literally down to the piano voicings that bill evans played on one of the most popular tunes on the recording and in all of the jazz repertoire, so what. A and b voicings are to be played with just one hand. Rootless left hand piano voicings left hand rootless voicings are closely associated with the piano style of pianist bill evans 19291980. Twohand piano voicings are essential for jazz pianists when comping behind melodists and soloists. The 3rd of one chord becomes the 7th of the next, etc.
Its a bit like getting the hang of the clutch when youre learning to drive. This sound is heard in the playing of mccoy tyner, chick corea and just about every pianist that has come after them. It also converts the second two voicings into stacks of diatonic fourths. Rootless left hand piano voicings composer, jazz pianist. Basic two note guide tone voicings, containing only the 3rd and 7th of each chord. While left hand only chord voicings are nice and simple, they dont sound as rich or balanced as two handed chord voicings. Two hand piano voicings are essential for jazz pianists when comping behind melodists and soloists. These voicings, aside from being a good starting point for pianists to start comping in an ensemble, also are a good way to learn about jazz voice leading. However when i am playing with me jazz ensemble, we have a bass and solo instruments, so i never know how to do voicings with both hands. An approach borrowed from jazz arranging is to drop the 2nd voice from the top down an octave, to create an open voicing that is readily playable on the guitar. While theyre not the only voicings used, they are the backbone of jazz piano and you need them.
Mar 21, 2016 twohand piano voicings are essential for jazz pianists when comping behind melodists and soloists. May 11, 2014 in this article, i will explore some ways to play a simple chord progression with two hands, with varying voicings, rhythms and patterns. The two inversions of these voicing sets are as follows. An arranging technique used when voicing for four horns.
Basic onehand voicings created by adding color tones to the guide tones in the previous example. This isnt an allencompassing resource, as a resource that. Get ideas for voicings from books and from imitating music on disc. When playing with other jazz musicians, you will be required to perform different roles than when playing solo jazz piano. Voicings free jazz originals for varioussized bands by. Left hand rootless voicings are closely associated with the piano style of pianist bill evans 19291980. These powerful chords im going to teach you are known as rootless 2 handed piano voicings. All of this great harmony is demonstrated over popular jazz standards like oleo, solar, and i remember you. Learning freedom online jazz piano courses 7,202 views 28. Many players could benefit from having this reference sheet, which has most of the chords jazz musicians are likely to encounter. In addition to the voicings, he also demonstrates how to play them rhythmically so that you can begin to play through the chords in a way that sounds like jazz. Two handed chords are great for comping behind a soloist. Grammywinning keyboardist george whitty helps you get started with twohanded harmony, and helps to bolster your jazz vocabulary by covering basicand instantly recognizablebluesy chord voicings.
Therefore, he needs two different types of voicings. Bill evans, barry harris, oscar peterson, kenny barron. The best way to learn the voicing is to memorise these. To facilitate my teaching, i have further subdivided the above two facets of jazz into theory and practice components. Change rhythms, using onebar and two bar patterns, then allow them to freely play rhythms of their choice. Jazz piano voicings and comping techniques to your students. The easiest way to play two handed chords is through the use of upper structure triads.
Removing a middle note from these voicings is a popular choice, as it creates a less congested sound. While lefthand voicings are suited to righthand soloing or melody, the jazz pianist needs to know how to comp in other words, accompany other soloists. Basic left hand voicings useful when playing with a bass player. Major 7 7 dom inant 7 minor 7 major 6 minor 6 minor 7b5 minmaj7 aug. This means you are in charge of playing chords while someone else solos. Two handed voicings are an essential element of jazz piano.
Left hand chord voicings for the intermediate jazz pianist. There are four sections to a jazz piano exam, giving candidates the opportunity to demonstrate their. You simply cant play modern jazz without knowing these voicings in all the keys. Basic rootless piano voicings by chris fitzgerald ex. I had some nicesounding one handed rootless chords that i learned from my high school jazz piano teacher, so i did what any reasonable young musician would do. First, he comps for, and interacts with, other players as they solo. The herbie hancock voicing is a richsounding, twohanded minor 11th chord. Two handed voicings we now move on to an oftenneglected aspect of jazz piano, and that is comping. Camden is a working jazz pianist, multiinstrumentalist, and music educator currently living near boise, id.
Every note of these 11 burning performances by peter martin has been transcribed so you can see exactly what a modern master plays on some of the mostplayed tunes in jazz. Two handed voicings are used when other players solo and during. Fourths piano voicings earl macdonald composer, jazz. On its own, it offers a nice variation of the basic chord. Fourths piano voicings 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. 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. Take your music theory and keyboard skills to the next level as lynda arnold shows some useful ways to play a simple chord progression with two hands, with varying voicings, rhythms and patterns. 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 all three scales. It is my hope that this site serves as a nice compliment to your passion for learning more about the wonderful world of jazz piano voicings.
Progris outlines hundreds of two hand jazz chord voicings and numerous explanations on their construction. Now of course that takes a lot of time to work out, but i thought youd like to see the voicing of that on a familiar jazz tune. George also discusses the pentatonic scale, and shows how to play everything in your jazz piano toolbox over the f7 blues. These piano comping practice tips are meant to give you specific exercises to practices that will improve your harmonic understanding and help you learn the chords to a bunch of jazz tunes. 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. Twohand shells moving on from the basic left hand voicings are the basic two hand shells.
Ok thats it for today, and if you enjoy these piano tips, come on over to. When you find something you like, try and play it in all keys. For major and minor chords, the color tones added are the 5th and 9th. This means you are in charge of playing chords comp while someone else solos. To get your free copy of the pdf transcription, click here. Two handed voicings in playing contexts where the piano is only responsible for harmony, we can play voicings that spread out further and incorporate both hands. Encyclopedia of lefthand jazz piano voicings learn jazz.
Get a jumpstart on improvisation, bebop, comping, voicings left hand and two hand, and so much more. Revised and brought up to industry standards then rereleased after two decades by santorella publications, it is still the absolute best source for learning jazz piano chords for two hands. There are left hand chord voicings every intermediate jazz pianist must not be without. A method for individual or class study dan haerle on. Also analyse it what type of chord is it, what are the extensionsalterations, how is the chord voiced. Grammywinning keyboardist george whitty helps you get started with two handed harmony, and helps to bolster your jazz vocabulary by covering basicand instantly recognizablebluesy chord voicings. Grammywinning keyboardist george whitty helps you get started with two. Chord voicings jazz piano for two hands pdf summitfreedom. In this handout, bert ligon shares some basic concepts of constructing good jazz bass lines. Jazz chord voicings for two hands was the first of its kind when originally published in 1982 by hansen house. This is particularly effective with rootless voicings for seventh chords. This handout is the second in a two part series of reference voicings for the jazz pianist. A and b voicings for jazz piano jazz piano lessons online.
Gain some insight into 2handed voicings in this jazz piano method lesson clip. Actually, i share how i initially became interested in learning about jazz continue reading welcome. O expand your jazz horizons and literature base o relieve fear associated with the word jazz o not intended, however, to address soloing or improvising techniquessorry. Two handed comping archives page 6 of 6 free jazz lessons. Basic one hand voicings created by adding color tones to the guide tones in the previous example. Advanced jazz band piano parts the problem occurs when a student is given a piece of music as shown on the right. Jazz keyboard voicings and bass line writing elliot gray canyon creek elementary. George demonstrates how to play these over the f7 blues chord changes. Having received no training on how to interpret chord symbols and create proper jazz voicings a student is setup to fail students give up quickly because the task is too overwhelming. Jul 30, 2015 for all of the similarities that exist between the two, rock piano playing and jazz piano playing also have many obvious differences. When i coach upandcoming producers in piano technique, they often want to explore ways to play through chord progressions with two hands. It could be the right hand whilst you are playing a walking bass line in the left hand or perhaps played in your left hand whilst you.
These are great additional resources to get and study too. I played the exact same voicing in both hands, one octave apart. Open voicings basic formulas the formulas work well for all the basic chord types. This jazz piano lesson is going to be a monster one. Drop 2 voicings bebop, hard bop, contemporary jazz. Prior to this, jazz pianists tended to use shell chords like the bud powell voicing we will learn in a future lesson or stride piano. Hi, ive been learning jazz piano for a while at my music college, but my teacher has been teaching me how to play solo piano, so walking bass left hand and improvising or playing chords in the right hand. Right hand can play single notes, octaves, triad shapes, upper. We have already discussed the theory aspect jazz chords and jazz scales so its time to discuss how to apply the theory in practice with jazz chord voicings and jazz improvisation.