Jazz Piano Basic Voicings

Matt Harris Reprinted by permission of the author and CMEA Magazine, The News Magazine of the California Association for Music Education, Winter, 2001, Margaret Stevens, Editor

One of the biggest differences between classical piano players and jazz players is the ability of a jazz piano player to "read" and interpret melodies with chord symbols. This is usually the first step where beginning jazz players will become frustrated and ask for help from a band director or private teacher. Unlike classical music where the music is already written, the jazz piano player must combine theory, harmony, technique, time feel, and experience to play with very little music written down. Although there are many important aspects of beginning jazz piano, this article is going to concentrate on beginning voicings for the novice piano player and/or director.

The single most important element to good jazz voicings on the piano begins with the recognition and inversion of the third and seventh of the chord. This voicing is sometimes called the Òshell voicing.Ó The inability to quickly identify and play the 3rd and 7th of any chord will be the cause of most problems with chord voicings.

There are many different ways to identify the 3rd and 7th of a chord. One simple way is by intervals. This will require the memorization of just a few intervals. Here are the 4 main types of chords commonly found in jazz progressions.

The following are some rules to demonstrate where to play the 3rds and 7ths of any chord after you have established what notes you are going to play.

Two-note Voicings (3rds and 7ths)

The most common chord progression in jazz is the ii-V-I. Therefore, practicing voicings in all keys based on a ii-V-I progression will adequately prepare you for a large percentage of tunes you will play.

You will probably notice a "pattern" in your hand that includes the third and seventh. Once you get the voicing for the minor seventh chord, one finger goes down a half step followed by the other finger going down a half step for each change of chord. The finger that moves first, depends on the inversion* of the third and seventh.

Although it is OK to get used to this "pattern," it is more important to "hear" this pattern, and the resolution of the seventh to the third.

Being able to "hear" voicings and voice leading is an extremely important aspect in building a strong foundation for a novice jazz piano player. I strongly encourage the teacher and students to master singing arpeggios of the different chord qualities in all of their inversions. It is also important to be able to sing the thirds and sevenths of chords in a progression, concentrating on the resolution of the sevenths to the thirds. You may use solfege if students are already familiar with relating syllables to pitches, or use "la" or any other syllable to sing pitches.

Practice two-note voicings (3rd and 7th) ii-V-I progressions in all keys as follows.

a. Left hand with root, right hand with voicing.
b. Right hand with voicing, no left hand.
c. Left hand with voicing, no root.
d. Left hand with voicing (no root), melody or improvisation in right hand.

Practice all exercises with a metronome starting at quarter note = 60 (or slower if need be).

Mastering the two-note voicing will ensure strong fundamental voice leading in a supporting register. The 3rd and 7th voicing will lack "color" and fullness, but don't forget that these two notes are the most important part of the chord. The sooner a beginning piano player can identify and play these notes, the sooner he/she will be on his way to become the next great jazz piano player.

*inversion: The inversion of a chord or an interval indicates which note is on the bottom and which one is on the top. The transferring of a lower note in a chord an octave higher, or a higher note in a chord an octave lower creates an inversion.

Matt Harris moved to Los Angeles after touring with jazz greats Maynard Ferguson and Buddy Rich. His versatility as a writer, arranger, and performer keep him very busy in the LA studio scene. His music can be heard on numerous jingles, film scores, and live productions. Matt has three CD's of original music, two published piano books, and more than 100 pieces of music published by Kendor Music, Walrus Music, UNC Jazz Press, and Heritage Jazz Works. He is currently Director of Jazz Studies at California State University, Northridge. Matt's new beginning piano book, bio, CD'S, and "unpublished" charts are available at mattharris.org.