Frank J Peter Chords, Jazz School

Jazz School: Chord Voicings: Major 7 Left Hand Shell

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A sparse, light, open texture is achieved by simply playing the root and seventh of the chord in your left hand…

Sometimes called a “shell voicing”, this approach provides lots of space and freedom for your right hand to play the melody or improvise without being hamstrung by any particular voicing…

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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 “Triad Over Root”