For c major, our one handed voicing looks like this. Start with the basic chords and find inversions that work well for you without requiring your left hand to move all over the keyboard. It is like having a thoughtful instructor working with you. The pdf and the jpeg images below show the iiv7i progression in all 12 keys. 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. 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. Lets look at an example starting in the key of c major. Evolutionary voicings, part 1 howard rees jazz workshops. The easiest way to play two handed chords is through the use of upper structure triads.
For the sake of completeness, most of these left hand applications are integrated with sample right hand parts that validate the efficacy and concrete application of the left hand figures. Left hand rootless voicings are closely associated with the piano style of pianist bill evans 19291980. One handed voicings are played in the left hand, while the right hand solos. This isnt an allencompassing resource, as a resource that. Connections between chords and applications are always discussed so that you get a far more useful in depth understanding of what to do with the chords learned.
We then look at another number by victor young beautiful love. Open chord voicings spread voicings two handed chord voicings. He would often play left hand voicings while he played the same rhythm in the right hand with a melody using the 158 shape. Aug 02, 2015 he would often play left hand voicings while he played the same rhythm in the right hand with a melody using the 158 shape. Browse our library of more than 16,000 powerful illustrations with new material added on a regular basis.
Want to play voicings that make every other part of your playing sound great. Chord voicings choosing the best voicing although you can use any of these voicings in any situation, we are going to take the following chords and supply you with 4 voicings of these chords so that you can plugandplay them when we get heavy into the strumming exercises. Encyclopedia of lefthand jazz piano voicings learn jazz. Advanced left hand voicings for scale degree chords. Lefthand piano voicings for iiv7is learn jazz standards. We are going to start with voicings for three types of chords. This is a good area where the notes are still strong but are less resonant.
Every tone of the scale is associated with a chord and these chords are described as scaletone chords. And yet, when playing piano, you generally play the melody on the right hand and the harmonic part on the left. Its not talked about as much as it should be, but its very important component in improvising and. It also converts the second two voicings into stacks of diatonic fourths. Removing a middle note from these voicings is a popular choice, as it creates a less congested sound. Fulltext sermons and audio keyed to the abc lectionary cycle plus childrens messages and prayers. This just means that your left hand plays a simple shell voicing or even just the guide tones third and seventh and your right hand plays a triad that contains colorful notes. Use the download button below or simple online reader. These shell voicings will transform your left hand hear. These positions or voicings are used both for accompaniment both in improvisation. Step 3 figure out voicings for the 3 chords of the basic blues progression. Learn to play rootless chord voicings play blues piano with.
As we discussed in examples 2 and 4, dominant 7ths derived from the same diminished 7th can be used as substitutions for each other. The top note of left hand voicings, played by the thumb, should be played within the register of middle c and c the. 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. Here you see the c and the g written in the right hand, and the left hand note is determined by the symbol written above the staff. Dec 04, 2019 here is a link to more basic left hand voicings free pdf of the graphics. Left hand voicings over c jazz blues sound of emotions. We begin by focusing on the voicings in your left hand, but the theory and application can be used all across the keyboard. So by seeing am7 written above the staff, you know to play a in the left hand. Rootless voicings demonstrated earl macdonald composer. Open chord voicings spread voicings the jazz piano site. Below you can find a selection of free downloadable pdf files containing the most. In the video below im going to teach you how to play 3 oscar peterson chords for the left hand. But sometimes you also need to make some inversions. In this lesson we are going to look at some alternative ways to voice minor 251s with our left hand.
The easiest lefthand accompaniment is chords, whether you play them as straight chords or arpeggios. This pdf serves as a compliment to a free lesson that i created emphasizing the rewards of. The easiest left hand accompaniment is chords, whether you play them as straight chords or arpeggios. Numerous styles of jazz piano are taught, including. Encyclopedia of left hand voicings there is document encyclopedia of left hand voicings available here for reading and downloading. They can be used for both playing the head of a continue reading steve nixon. In todays jazz harmony lesson im going to teach you a really tasty way you. 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. In addition to removing the 1, the 5th is often omitted, leaving the 3rd and the 7th.
Youll quickly be able to use these voicings in all aspects of your playing. In future lessons we will also discuss numerous two handed chord voicings. 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. Learn to play rootless chord voicings play blues piano. Basic one hand voicings created by adding color tones to the guide tones in the previous example. Red garland did not change his left hand voicing until the chord changed. Remember, one handed voicings are played with the left hand, while the right hand solos. Memorize these voicings and get used to playing them from seeing just the chord symbol and not the written notes themselves. Left hand voicings and chord theory begins with triads and proceeds through thirteenth chords and teaches the practical application of chords and chord progressions. Adam maness shows you the five essential ways to build greatsounding, fundamental lefthand voicings.
Using chord inversions facilitates smooth connection of chords in a progression for symmetry, voice leading and linear harmony. 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. Lets look at scale degrees for these three types of chords so that we can create voicings. Many players could benefit from having this reference sheet, which has most of the chords jazz musicians are likely to encounter. Get a jumpstart on improvisation, bebop, comping, voicings lefthand and twohand, and so much more. The rootless voicings previously learned for left hand lh can be transferred to the right hand rh while the lh walks a bass line. The left hand comps rhythmically, but the jazz player is free to create rhythmic variations in his comping in order to create syncopations and. Rootless left hand piano voicings left hand rootless voicings are closely associated with the piano style of pianist bill evans 19291980. Access thousands of additional sermons by topic, scripture, lectionary date, or any word or phrase. While left hand only chord voicings are nice and simple, they dont sound as rich or balanced as two handed chord voicings. 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. It is possible to use minor, diminished, and augmented triads but i am going to. Piano comping practice tips cocktail piano lessons.
Jazz piano basics dan davey usually, the guide tones resolve within a step to the next chord. Again, practice using the metronome on all 4 beats and and on beats 2 and 4. To add another dimension to these voicings, the pianist may play one chord tone or tension in octaves in the right hand. The file extension pdf and ranks to the documents category. Basic twonote guide tone voicings, containing only the 3rd and 7th of each chord. Voicings on the piano left hand lh consistently plays the 37th of the chord, along with additional notes as necessary. He would often play lefthand voicings while he played the same rhythm in the right hand with a melody using the 158 shape. This means you are in charge of playing chords while someone else solos. The herbie hancock voicing is a richsounding, twohanded minor 11th chord.
Here is a common ii v i progression in the key of c. For our beginners, this will be the 25 of the chord, but in advanced voicings, can include any number of tones or structures. Adam maness shows you the five essential ways to build greatsounding, fundamental left hand voicings. Rootless left hand piano voicings earl macdonald composer. More left hand voicings for c blues jazz piano college. Sep 26, 2010 here i list and analyze the most used chords in jazz, played with the left hand at piano. Rootless voicings are used in an ensemble setting when a bass player is present but.
It contains many ideas that can be used for left hand accompaniment, or even left hand melody. They are chords that derive above all from bill evans voicings in which the ninth is added into the minor seventh chord, the sixth and the ninth into the dominant seventh. The two inversions of these voicing sets are as follows. This means your right hand is free to play the melody or improvise. Left hand voicings archives page 2 of 4 free jazz lessons. Jazz piano the left hand the steinway library of piano. Advanced left hand voicings for scale degree chords hear. Lets explore left hand shell voicings of these scale tones using the key of c major. Here is a link to more basic left hand voicings free pdf of the graphics. W d thanks, but i couldnt have on ei tw h us pr f ylefth andm.
Lets go ahead and learn some advanced left hand voicings for scale degree chords in the key of c major. It covers the beginnings of early stride jazz to modern quartal patterns, and an appendix with rootless voicings. This is a very useful book, complete with the background of each example. We work on left hand voicings and demonstrate how useful these voicings can be. Basic onehand voicings created by adding color tones to the guide tones in the previous example. The right hand can act as an extension of the left hand in order to create a large chord voicing, or can choose to soloimprovise while the left hand continues to play the closeposition voicings. In this lesson, youll learn the 4way closed position and rootless voicings that make your chord voicings scream professional.
This pdf serves as a compliment to a free lesson that i created emphasizing the rewards of smooth voice leading. This is left hand voicings and theory presented in a manner with not only descriptions but discussion of application. These chords are great for laying down simple and basic harmonic information in your left hand while your right hand plays the faster and more complex harmony. Also, you should experiment with various rhythmic patterns. In settings with no bassist it is often necessary for the pianist to cover the bassists role. Like our first set of two handed voicings, these one handed voicings will all have the 3rd on the bottom. For some more articles on jazz piano voicings, check out easy jazz piano voicings, jazz piano voicings 101, and cheat sheet for iivi left hand piano voicings.
Notice that the iivi progression can be played two different ways starting each chord with either the 7th or 3rd as the. Would you like to learn 3 easy oscar peterson chords. We start this course by exploring the concept of rootless chord voicings. Scribd is the worlds largest social reading and publishing site. Its not talked about as much as it should be, but its. Left hand 9th voicings there is document left hand 9th voicings available here for reading and downloading. Feb 20, 2019 download free pdf with my favorite left hand voicings here. Check out the tutorial video for this lesson here youtube. Here i list and analyze the most used chords in jazz, played with the left hand at piano. The 3rd of one chord becomes the 7th of the next, etc.
By using both hands to play a chord, we can play over a number of octave and registers and create a fuller sound. My funny valentine by victor young is perhaps the most famous example of the minor line cliche and a nice tune for practicing minor harmony. I have used these voicings in numerous jazz standard tutorials and so now its time for a dedicated lesson so you understand the theory and how to construct these voicings. Pdf on jan 1, 2016, daniel scanteianu and others published a fluid chord voicing. Right hand can play single notes, octaves, triad shapes, upper extensions, or single line solos over the top. Download free pdf with my favorite left hand voicings here. These voicings are important for every modern jazz piano. D below middle c up to a above middle c when these voicings are performed, its important that the pianist learn them in. The left hand notes will be determined by the chord symbol written above the staff. Minor 7 left hand shell a sparse, light, open texture is achieved by simply playing the root and seventh of the chord in your left hand called a shell voicing, this approach provides lots of space and freedom for your right hand to add other chord tones, to play the melody, or improvise without being hamstrung. Scale tone chords include the 1chord, 2chord, 3chord, 4chord, etc.
Basic left hand voicings useful when playing with a bass player. Rootless chord voicings are widely used while soloing as well as playing the head of the tune. For some more articles on jazz piano voicings, check out easy jazz piano voicings, jazz piano voicings 101, and cheat sheet for iivi lefthand piano voicings. First of all, as you saw in the previous articles, creating interesting voicings often entails adding tones to the chords. In this exercise we will play the rootless voicings same as above in our left hand. How to play from a fake book without gettin the blues. Sample f blues chorus shown using basic left hand chords, octave right hand melody, typical comping rhythms. For voicings with the 7th on the bottom followed by the 3rd, add the 5th on top options of or b on dominant chords. Jazz keyboard voicings and bass line writing nafme.
Rootless voicings are preferred in jazz piano and guitar playing, especially when playing with a bassist. Here are 4 voicings for the caged chords, both major and minor. Use the general voicing guidelines from page 7, the left hand voicings reference sheet, and the included blues sheets to help. Here is b flat 7 resolving to e flat maj7, and voiced with three substitutions over a shell voicing in the left hand. Encyclopedia of left hand voicings download documents.