Frank J Peter Chords, Jazz School

Jazz School: Chord Voicings: Major 7, add 9, add 13

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For a very open and hip sound, try this two-fisted voicing in perfect fourths with three notes in each hand…

It may seem intimidating at first, but the pattern is quite simple: root at the top of a six-note stack where each note is a perfect fourth apart. Notice that it includes every note in the major scale except the highly dissonant “4”…

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Homework

Using your ears and knowledge of scales and chord structure, “transpose” this voicing to all spellings in three musically-useful patterns:

  1. Chromatically Ascending: C > Db > D > Eb > E > F > Gb > G > Ab > A > Bb > B > C.
  2. Chromatically Descending: C > B > Bb > A > Ab > G > Gb > F > E > Eb > D > Db > C.
  3. Cycle of Dominants: C > F > Bb > Eb > Ab > Db > Gb > B > E > A > D > G > C.

Doing so will develop an enormous chord vocabulary that you will know by ear, intellect, eye, and muscle… laying a rock solid foundation for fluent improvisation.

learn more… Jazz Chords: Major 7 “G/C”