Once get used with the structures of the triads and quadriads, a Voicing is a chord, or more better a way  to express a specific chord, using the notes (voices) taken from the scale which the chord itself refers, with a disposition of the sounds away from the base position with the root (fundamental) to the low.

In simple words, the voicings they can be understandings like a way to play chords under a various perspective: discard the root and the V°, in order to use the others sound of the chord (as first the  3^th and the 7^th) to search for a  more jazzin’ sound.

In their construction it is taken advantage to us of note doublings, clusters (contiguous note clusters), in order to develop a  chord having 3/5 notes (altough it could  theoretically  catches up 7 notes) of the origin scale which a given chord refers.

Every pianist in the jazz has developed an own system of voicing and   the more famous pianisti had an immense dictionary of voicing, but also common. As an example Bill Evans, Bud Powell and Wynton Kelly, have been everyone founders in such sense.

The voicing, it is well to remember it, ago always reference to a theoretical chord, which (based on a scale) hierarchically orders notes always in increasing order, from fundamental (the root) to thirteenth (sixth to eighth) for third overlapped, while the vocing it arranges to them in an other order, not certainly increasing, but always trying to place to the low one of the two characterizing sounds the quality of the chord: third or seventh (es:  G7 - >  B and  F).

Construction of voicings (main criteria)

The base Voicing the is formed to 4 notes, and built placing to the low 3° or the 7° (try to develop it staying on the keyboard beetwen C2 and F#3) adding to these two sounds those obtained from the extension for thirds of the base chord  beyond eighth: ninth (9), eleventh (11) and thirteenth (13) (i.d. extensions)

A lot often comes omitted also fifth, because it sounds little characterise a chord, and in a combo context it is often used in double bass lines.

In order to be clear we group:

- the Chords in the 5 main families: Major, Minors, Diminished, Half-Diminished and Dominant (7), from which altering the tensions opportunely, every chord can be derived from,

- The 2 fundamental positions for every family of voicing:

1. from the third degree

2. from the seventh degree

Ex: G7 —-> from the 3rd –> B E F A

Ex: G7 —-> from the 7rd –> F A B E

Developping this simple example, for a better understanding we can divide Voicings into 2 main categories:

- Left Hand Voicings

- Both Hands Voicings: Compin’ and Quartal Voicings