Jazz Piano Voicings 101
A step by step approach to creating your own authentic jazz piano voicings
Prerequisite Knowledge: Familiarity with all 12 major scales and key signatures
Step 1 – learning the chord structures
- There are 5 basic chord types found in jazz and each uses four notes stacked in 3rds
o Maj7 – 1, 3, 5, 7 ex. Cmaj7 – C E G B
o Dom7 – 1, 3, 5, b7 ex. C7 – C E G Bb
o Min7 – 1, b3, 5, b7 ex Cmin7 – C Eb G Bb
o Min7b5 – 1 b3 b5 b7 ex Cmin7b5 – C Eb Gb Bb
o Dim7 – 1 b3 b5 b7 ex Cdim7 – C Eb Gb A
- Exercise 1
o Pick a note/key
o Play the arpeggio of each chord type starting on that note
o Repeat in all 12 keys (cycle chromatically or by circle of 4ths)
- Exercise 2
o Pick a chord type
o Play the arpeggio of that chord type in all 12 keys (cycle chromatically or by
circle of 4ths)
o Repeat with all 5 chord types (notice that there are only 3 different dim7
chords)
o Use and trust your ears to check if the chords you are playing sound right. All
chords of the same quality should sound similar.
- Advanced exercise
o Play inversions of each chord
Step 2 – Extensions
- Extensions are notes which add colour/spice/dissonance/interest to a chord but do
not change the quality of the chord.
- These notes include the 9th, 11th and 13th of the key. (9th = 2nd note of the scale, 11th
= 4th and 13th = 6th)
- The following chart outlines which extensions to use with each chord type:
o Maj7 – 9, #11, 13
o Dom7 – b9, 9, #9, 11, #11, b13, 13
o Min7 – 9, 11, 13
o Min7b5 – 9, 11, 13
There is no such thing as a b11 or a #13!
Dom7 chords provide a lot of options, for example you could play
either a b, natural or # 9th but only one at a time.
If you drop each extension down an octave and play all the notes in
the chord consecutively you will create a scale to play over that chord
when improvising.
- Exercise
o Pick a chord quality
o Play the four note arpeggio of the basic chord type in the left hand and the
extensions in the right hand (For Dom7 chords choose one 9 th, one 11th and
one 13th and experiment with different combinations, generally when playing
in a major key 9, #11, 13 works well and when playing in a minor key b9s,
#9s, b13s work well, in the blues #9s and #11s work well. Experiment and
see which sounds you like.)
o Play in all 12 keys
o Use and trust your ears to check yourself
Step 3 – Two note voicings
- Every voicing needs to include two very important notes, the third and the 7th.
These notes determine the quality of a chord. When playing in a combo or a big
band the bass player is responsible for playing the root of each chord so the pianist
doesn’t have to. If the chord has a P5 such as in Maj7, Dom7 and Min7 chords you
do not have to play the 5th. For min7b5 and dim7 chords the b5 needs to be
included as this affects the quality of the chord, don’t worry about this for now but
we will include this in the next step with 3 note voicings.
- Exercise 1
o Pick a chord type
o In the left hand play the 3rd and 7th of the chord in two different inversions,
once with 3rd on bottom and 7th on top then with the 7th on the bottom and
3rd on top
o Repeat in a 12 keys
o Repeat with each chord type
- Exercise 2
o Pick a chord type
o Cycle through all 12 keys in order of the circle of 4ths using the closest
inversion for each chord
o Repeat with a different inversion of the first chord
o Repeat with each chord type
- Exercise 3
o Pick a jazz standard that you are working on (Autumn Leaves would be a
great starting point)
o Play through the chord progression using two note voicings in the left hand
and moving to the closest inversion for each new chord. If you start moving
too far down the keyboard and the voicings start to sound ‘muddy’ either
jump up an octave or invert your voicing and continue.
o Repeat starting with a different inversion of the first chord.
o Congratulations you now have the tools to get through any jazz standard!
But don’t stop there…..
Step 4 – 3 note voicings
- This step is where things get interesting and you get to make your own musical
decisions. The left hand continues to play the 3rds and 7ths but the right hand now
gets to add some colour by adding an extra note of your choice. The right hand may
play the root or 5th of the chord but playing an extension (9, 11 or 13) is much more
interesting. For min7b5 and dim7 chords the added note should be the b5 to
complete the chord.
- Exercise 1
o Pick a chord type
o In the left hand play the 3rd and 7th and with the right hand add an extension
of your choice.
o Cycle through the circle of 4ths using closest possible inversions in the left
hand
o Repeat several times experimenting with different extensions and different
inversions of the left hand
o Repeat with each chord type
- Exercise 2
o Pick a jazz standard you are working on
o Play through the chord progression playing the 3rd and 7th of each chord in
the left hand and adding an extension to each chord with the right hand
o Repeat several times experimenting with different extensions
Step 5 – 4 note voicings
- The same principles as in 3 note voicings apply but now the right hand will choose
two notes.
- Exercise 1
o Pick a chord type
o In the left hand play the 3rd and 7th and with the right hand add 2 extensions
of your choice.
o Cycle through the circle of 4ths using closest possible inversions in both
hands
o Repeat several times experimenting with different extensions and different
inversions of the left hand
o Repeat with each chord type
- Exercise 2
o Pick a jazz standard you are working on
o Play through the chord progression playing the 3rd and 7th of each chord in
the left hand and adding 2 extensions to each chord with the right hand
o Repeat several times experimenting with different extensions
Step 6 – your own voicings
- You now have the tools to create your own voicings. After much experimenting you
will develop a library of your favourite voicings and as you learn more and more jazz
tunes you will find voicings that work better in different situations
- So far we have always had the 3rd and 7th in the left hand with the extensions in the
right but this does not always have to be the case. Try experimenting with switching
the positions and octaves of different notes within the chord.
- Experiment with closed voicings (all notes close together) vs. open voicings (notes
are spread farther apart). Often voicings sound good with more space between the
highest and lowest notes with the middle notes of the voicing close together.
Common Chord Progressions
- Practice these different voicings over the following chord progressions. Common
progressions like ii – V – I, or I – vi – ii – V are the building blocks of about 95% of all
jazz tunes. Practice these progressions in all 12 keys and then move on to common
progressions like the blues or rhythm changes in different keys.
Other common voicings
- Quartal voicings (notes stacked in 4ths) sometimes work well for min7 chords. A
common voicing is to start on the 5th of the chord and stack perfect 4ths, you should
get 5 R 11 7 b3, so for a Cmin7 chord you would play G C F Bb Eb.
- The “So What” voicing used in Miles Davis’ classic piece is similar but has a major 3rd
on the top. This time start with the root and stack 4 P4ths then a M3, you should
get R 11 7 b3 5. In other words the 5th moves from the bottom of the chord to the
top of the chord. Ex. Cmin7 becomes C F Bb Eb G
Exceptions
- A few chords that you may come across that haven’t been discussed yet are:
o Maj6 chords – this means that the 6th (same note as the 13) replaces the 7th.
Do not play a 7th over this chord. Adding a 9th as an extension works well
with this chord.
o Min6 chords – again the 6th replaces the 7th of this chord, so do not play a 7th
over this chord. Again adding a 9th as an extension works well.
o Dom7sus4 chords – In this case the 4th (same as 11th) replaces the 3rd. Do not
play a 3rd over this chord. A quartal voicing works well for this chord. Ex. R 4
7 #9 (b13). C7sus4 = C F Bb Eb (Ab)
o Min(maj7) chords – This chord is built R b3 5 7. It can be treated the same as
a Min7 chord except the 7th is major instead of minor, but the same
extensions can be used.
o Often when a minor chord is played for an extended period of time jazz
players will use one of two versions of the minor cliché.
Version 1 – Min, min(maj7), Min7, Min6 – you will notice a chromatic
descending line. Keep the rest of your voicing the same while
outlining the descending line with each chord. Ex. Min = 9 b3 R,
min(maj7) = 9 b3 7, min7 = 9 b3 b7, min6 = 9 b3 6
Version 2 (James Bond theme) – Min, min #5, min6, min #5 – the
same principle applies, this time outline the up and down chromatic
progression from 5 #5 6 #5. Ex. Min = 9 b3 5, min #5 = 9 b3 #5, min6
= 9 b3 6, min #5 = 9 b3 #5.
o Dom7 chords can sometimes be played with a #5 or b5. This means that the
#5 or b5 replaces the 5th of the chord. Do not add a P5 to this chord, though
other extensions may be added.
o Maj7 chords on very rare occasion may include a #5, this replaces the P5. Do
not add a P5 to this chord, though other extension (9 #11 13) may be added.
Comping
- Comping, which I take to mean a combination of accompanying and complimenting
the soloist, is playing the voicings you have come up with appropriate rhythms which
contribute to the feel and harmony of the jazz tune being played. Listen to great
jazz pianists to get ideas for appropriate rhythms. Keep in mind the style and tempo
(swing, latin, ballad, bebop, fusion). Syncopation is always good, so is leaving space
for the soloist.
Improvising
- When improvising, especially if you are the only other chord player in the group you
may accompany yourself with the left hand by playing 3rds and 7ths, leaving your
right hand free to improvise melodies. You may also do this in a combo or big band
situation and add short “fills” during breaks in the melody.
Playing without a bass player
- If you are in a situation where you are playing without a bass player, either playing
solo or accompanying another instrument, you will need to alter your voicings to
include the root of each chord as the lowest note in the left hand. 3 note voicings
will become Either R and 7 in the left with the 3 in the right or R and 3 in the left
with the 7 in the R. With 4 note voicings you can add an extension as well. Another
option is to play walking bass lines in the left while playing 3rds and 7ths (and maybe
one extension) in the right.