Jazz School: Chord Voicings: Major 7 “Definitive Tones Over Perfect 5th”

piano-ology-jazz-school-chord-voicings-c-major-7-definitive-tones-over-perfect-5th-featured

For a full, but simple and open sound, trying voicing the Major 7 Chord as a 1 and 5 (a perfect 5th) in the left hand and the definitive tones 3 and 7 (that also form a perfect fifth) in the right…

piano-ology-jazz-school-chord-voicings-c-major-7-definitive-tones-over-perfect-5th-keyboard

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 6,9