Fig 16 if we combine so what voicings with our twohanded quartal structures. This is particularly effective with rootless voicings for seventh chords. An easier way to play extended chords using the upper. Most players are used to seeing quartal voicings only in quartal music where you build chords by stacking 4ths instead of thirds, or in modal music, but this book concentrates on the use of quartals as upper structures over standard chord progressions such as a iim7 v7 imaj7. Quartal and quintal harmony have been used by robert fripp, who has described himself as the rhythm guitarist of king crimson. Alan brown quartals and pentatonics for jazz piano harmony.
This pdf serves as a compliment to a free lesson that i created emphasizing the rewards of smooth voice leading. Through the upper structure voicing the harmony becomes fresh and complex, though it. The application of upperstructure voicings in a 251. Mark whites quartal harmony lesson p2 if youve played the previous example of the harmonized scale in fourths against cmaj7, i think youll get the idea pretty quickly. The triad is not based on the root of the chord, and is supported by some regular chord tones underneath. The newest jazz piano chords pdf that i recently made available features those piano chords and voicings that i used during an eight bar segment of a piano video tutorial i created which focuses on the classic harold arlen tune paper moon. In the video i break down each example a bit more and add some more info on how i made them and how i see them. However what makes this concept so valuable to us is the relationship between the modes derivative from in this case the parent major scale and its respective chord. Notice that the only differences between these scales relate to alterations of the 3rd and 7th. They sound great and can be played in a number of ways. Actually, i share how i initially became interested in learning about jazz.
Shop and buy quartal jazz piano voicings sheet music. Fourth voicings, also known as quartal voicings, are more of a modern sound in jazz and were really explored thoroughly by mccoy tyner as well as chick corea in the 60s. For example, a cmajor triad has three drop2 voicings. Upper refers to where we play the triad in a given chord structure yes, at the top.
The basic approach is to take the third and sixth voicings aka fourway close and drop the second from top tone down an octave. If you need to play a c7 chord, a bass player is likely to play a c, e, or g. Another upper structure approach to building piano voicings includes berklee. I know its been a personal passion of mine for years. Keyboard instruction sheet music book by paul rinzler. The ust jazz piano chord voicings collection is now available on pdf.
Bill evans, barry harris, oscar peterson, kenny barron. First, he comps for, and interacts with, other players as they solo. On the upper structures intro pdf file, on the 14th measure, is written so here are 5 upper structures than can be used over a c7 chord. For many years, mom was the rehearsal pianist at a ballettapjazz dance school and had to produce. When a note is played on the piano its string, which has been tightend to produce a certain. Notice that the only differences between these scales relate to alterations of the 3rd and 7th scale degrees, as all other degrees are common to all three scales. Pdf jazz theory 4th revised edition omar valenzuela.
There are many, of course, and rather than being concerned with what you dont know in this area, it will serve you better to open your mind pun intended to looking at the chords. Quartal and quintal chords have a suspended unanchored sound to them that differs form regular chords. If you dont know exactly what he is going to do, you may play a different inversion and clash with him. Superchords are basically three stacked triads on top of one another, with the last note of the previous triad starting the following triad. Upper structure triads are predominantly used on dominant chords but can also be applied to other chord types. Quartal jazz piano voicings by paul rinzler instructional. Jazz piano chord voicings upper structures walk that bass. Generally i play the melody in the right hand and attempt to create bass line harmony in the left hand. Free open chord voicings pdf learn to play cocktail piano. This quality makes quartal and quintal chords very useful in a composers chord vocabulary. Upper structures over complete jazz standards progressions.
There are several of these and, here, will take a look at one. In this lesson were just going to focus on dominant uppers structures triads. Yes you can create even more upperstructureesque voicings when you introduce quartal and quintal right hand stacks. Its nice to print out the cheat sheet and stick it close to the piano for reference, soon. Drop 2 voicings bebop, hard bop, contemporary jazz. These lefthand voicings were largely pioneered in the 1950s by jazz pianists such as bill evans. Our journey with jazz piano chords continues as we take a look at upper structure triads. Alan brown quartals and pentatonics for jazz piano scribd. Construction of drop ii voicings university of surrey blogs. Also analyse it what type of chord is it, what are the extensionsalterations, how is the chord voiced. Two handed voicings are used when other players solo and during.
In part one, i pointed out that a 7th chord contains four notes. Jazz piano lessonupper structure 6 voicing carlosthecat. Upper structures, also called upper structure triads, are triads that have been superimposed above a tritone. Well, as the name implies, a triad is certainly involved. This handout is the second in a twopart series of reference voicings for the jazz pianist. Creating voicings using upper structure triads is an essential skill for piano players and arrangers download this arrangement of blue in green in pdf format here. They really are just a pentatonic scale played every other note. An arranging technique used when voicing for four horns. These are great additional resources to get and study too. This sound is heard in the playing of mccoy tyner, chick corea and just about every pianist that has come after them. An approach borrowed from jazz arranging is to drop the 2nd voice from the top down an octave, to create an open voicing that is readily playable on the guitar. I chose to apply the voicings to a ii valt i in c because it it is an easy key and a vert common progression. Therefore we have the inversion shape of these chords as shown in fig. Browse hal leonard from hal leonard at sheet music plus.
Individual upper structures triads over iim7 and v7 ramos, ariel j on. An approach to jazz harmony scholarly repository university of. Two handed chords are great for comping behind a soloist. These advanced voicings are not exclusive to a trio setting. Mccoy tyner, as the pianist of the john coltrane quartet, represents the most complete. And because they are all v7 chord, some of the voicings have equivalent tritone substitution upper. Get ideas for voicings from books and from imitating music on disc. For many years, mom was the rehearsal pianist at a ballettapjazz dance school and had to produce piano arrangements of all. I am often puzzled which voicings to use for every chord, because there are many more possibilities compared to what is commonly used on guitar.
O expand your jazz horizons and literature base o relieve fear associated with the word jazz o not intended, however, to address soloing or improvising techniquessorry. They are an easier way to think about complex chords. This pdf will be a big help to many jazz pianists and other instrumentalists who want to get better at voicing chords in their left hand. Jazz piano chord voicings upper structures youtube. Piano chord voicings for jazz combo the pianist has a few functions in a jazz combo. Apr 02, 2016 jazz piano chord voicings upper structures walk that bass. Complete jazz standards with upper structure triads. A drop2 voicing lowers the second voice by an octave. Upper partial structures a voicing principle glen c.
All possible upper structure triads on iim7 and v7 all possible combinations of usts in a iim7 v7 progression compact version all possible upper structure quartals on iim7 and v7 this amazing collection is unique in the piano jazz world. Example drop 2nd voice root inversion dropii g7 chord r,5,7,3. Pianists often play the triad with the right hand and two chord tones underneath it with the left hand. Chord ambiguity because of the way the quartal chords are constructed 4ths rather than 3rds, they are rather ambiguous and can be numerous chords at once, depending on the context. This isnt an allencompassing resource, as a resource that. Remember that variety is key when choosing our chord voicings.
The intervals used in the upper structure voicing technique are usually tenths and sevenths, while the triad or seventh chord that is played over the root is known as the upper structure. Instead, we use jazz chord voicings where we alter the order of and. Therefore, he needs two different types of voicings. If you are advanced enough you can even play melodies with two hands by making the melody note the same as the top note of your chord. The precision and rigid structure of tertiary harmony was opened up and replaced by the ambiguity of quartal harmony. Simply put, whatever notes in the grouping, harmonically tied together, and diatonically correct. There are approximately 10 of these so called advanced voicings that i teach my students. Jazz chord essentials 3 part quartal harmony jens larsen. Individual upper structures triads over iim7 and v7. When you find something you like, try and play it in all keys. Two handed voicings in playing contexts where the piano is only responsible for harmony, we can play voicings that spread out further and incorporate both hands. Quartalsand pentatonics a practical guide for jazz piano by alan brown 2 table of contents introdu. Quartal voicings tertiary harmony was a large part of jazz up until the 1950s and 1960s when a new style emerged. However, though it can be ambiguous, quartal harmony is.
I use them when playing solo piano when i play a boomchick bass part or if i want to solo, improvise, or just play a different sound. Best piano voicings method using upper structure triads. A good explanation of this is in the short booklet. A brief guide to piano fourth voicings introduction this article is intended to give you a basic command of the most useful piano chords voiced in fourths also known as quartal voicings. The upper structure is a different chord harmonic structure, however, its relationship with the root note or interval forms extended chords. Rootless voicings are played around middle c in the left hand.
What is the upper deck on converted freighter longhump 747s used for. Many players could benefit from having this reference sheet, which has most of the chords jazz musicians are likely to encounter. This is an short encyclopedia with 12 voicings for most of the chords jazz pianists are likely to encounter. Its a great alternative to the usual jazz chords cycles and progressions. Rootless voicings greg howlett christian piano music. In a typical church service, this happens a lot between piano and organ or piano and bass guitar.
Mar 21, 2016 twohand piano voicings are essential for jazz pianists when comping behind melodists and soloists. Quartals can also be thought of as voicings for extended chords 9ths, 11ths, ths and so therefore can be used as ways of voicing triads when you want to use triads with their tensions extended notes. The phrase chord voicings refers to the way the notes of a chord are arranged, both in musical notation and on our instrument. Our focus in this lesson is on the application of upperstructure voicings in a 251 chord progression. Upper structure triads are dense, tense, and often quite jarring chords.
Upper structures are a nice sounding and simple way to voice altered dominant chords. In this series we are going to talk about piano voicings, specifically voicings that use upper structures its said that the average piano player spends 2 to 3 hours daily, searching for cool voicings over different chords and harmonic progressions. It is my hope that this site serves as a nice compliment to your passion for learning more about the wonderful world of jazz piano voicings. Encyclopedia of twohand jazz piano voicings learn jazz. Encyclopedia of lefthand jazz piano voicings learn jazz. I am a bassistguitarist whos recently started to play the piano. Upper structures are analysed just like any other chord by looking at the notes they are composed of. Twohand piano voicings are essential for jazz pianists when comping behind melodists and soloists. A computermediated interface for jazz piano comping. The best approach is to combine quartals with shell voicings i. For eahh dominant chord, experiment with the 4 common upper structures and try to find interesting and creative ways to apply the voicings. Reading down from the top voice, they are c e g, e g c, and g c e, which can be heard as the voicings supporting the first three melody notes following the introductory phrase of the super mario bros. In other instances, specifically for upper structure voicings of suspensions, for example cg7 for gsus, upper partials on a moving chord are, or anticipate, the lower partials of the desired tonic. However, the top three notes, the upper structure, form an a major triad.
Dec 22, 2014 our journey with jazz piano chords continues as we take a look at upper structure triads. Of course, just utilising these voicings as written will give us problems in some keys as they will have to be played too low or too high on the piano to be practical. So what and upper structure voicings can sound very smooth and are used in a lot of modern jazz piano. Sep 11, 2011 these advanced voicings are not exclusive to a trio setting. The triad you play is specified by a number which indicates the root note. Drop 2 voicings drop 2 voicings take a normal voicing and drop the second highest note by an octave.
Telechargez comme pdf, txt ou lisez en ligne sur scribd. How to learn upper structure triads jazz theory discussion. Jazz piano lessonupper structure 6 voicing youtube. Jazz guitar voicings and inversions fundamental changes.
The above formula for close voicing is useful as a fundamental approach to divide chord notes between each hand while keeping the melody as the highest note on the piano. And upper structure voicing is a jazz chord voicing with a triad at the top. Jazz pianists in the decades prior to the 1950s generally played more block chords andor shell voicings like roots and 7ths and put the root in their voicings most of the time. Fripp dislikes minor thirds and especially major thirds in equal temperament tuning, which is used by nonexperimental guitars. They sound fantastic in places but make sure to use them appropriately. In other instances, specifically for upper structure voicings of suspensions, for example cg7 for gsus, upper partials on a moving chord are, or anticipate, the lower partials of the desired tonic resulting in a smooth sound and a weaker cadence. In this manner, extensions and alterations often used in jazz can be added as expression while maintaining harmonic symmetry. Actually, i share how i initially became interested in learning about jazz continue reading welcome. Free open chord voicings pdf as a cocktail piano player, you will absolutely benefit from making it a point to acquaint yourself with open chord voicings.
Basic rootless piano voicings by chris fitzgerald ex. Upper structure voicings are mostly used by advanced players or intermediate players who are interested in playing full sounding chords using both. Standard quartal voicing use 5 notes but this can be dropped to 4 or 3 or increased to 6 and are generally played in the middle register of the piano. Closed voicings where all the chordtones are within an octave can be tricky to play on the guitar. As always you can download the examples as a pdf here. Learn all possible upper structure triads over minor seventh chords. This jazz piano tutorial is about upper structures. Jazz piano voicings and comping techniques to your students. The easiest way to play two handed chords is through the use of upper structure triads. Quartal harmony of the major scale and its modes by gianfranco continenza quartal harmony is a modern and fresh way to approach the harmony that makes you sound more as a pianist or as an orchestra instead of a standard guitar player.
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