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

music notation showing c major 7 chord voicing

For a full, simple, and open sound, play the Major 7 Chord as a 1 and 5 in the left hand and the definitive tones 3 and 7 in the right…

Major 7 Chord “Definitive Tones Over Perfect 5th” Voicing

Notice that both hands play perfect 5ths…

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 School: Chord Voicings: Major 6,9

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