As shown, we count 2 basic positions (3rd or 7th to the low) for left hand voicings, to be used to espose a tune or to support a solo. The are only few exception (see below) for some kinds of chords.

In order to give a criteria easy to be applied for each Key, the below used numbers refer to the correspondant tone of the major/minor scale of the voicing: this way the concept can be ‘transposed’ on every key: that’s why following example will be in a different key each time.

Maj7 (with major 3rd and major 7th)

Ex: CMaj7, 7+, C (delta)

3rd position notes (degrees major scale):

3  5  7  9, or  3  5  6  9

7th position :

7  9  3  5 (or 7 9 3 6), or  7  1  3  5( 6)

Maj6

Ex. Cmaj6, C6

3rd position notes:

6  9  3  5

7th position notes:

3  5  6  9

Minor (with min 3rd and maj 7th)

Ex. F-, Fm6, F-(maj7)

3rd: b3 5 6 9

7(and 6)th: 6 9 b3 5, 7 9 b3 5

Minor 7 (with min 3rd and min 7th)

Ex. Bb-7

3rd: b3 5 b7 9

7th: b7 9 b3 5

Dominant 7 (with maj 3rd and minor 7th)

Ex. A7 or A9 or A13

3rd: 3 6 b7 9

7th: b7 9 3 6

Dominant Alt. 7

This Chord has altered tensions (5th and 9th) and refers to the Altered Scale (built on the VII° of the Melodic minor Scale) and gives the same results of the Triton Substitution (a Dominant chord which Root is a Three tones - 6 half-tones up or down far). Using our number system, the V°7 voicing 3 6 b7 9 has same notes of bII°7 b7 9 3 6.

3rd: 3 #5 b7 #9

7rd: b7 #9 3 #5

Dominant Alt. 7b9

This Chord has b9 tensions ( and refers to the Scale built on the V° of the Harmonic Minor Scale. These voicing expecially work on minor Turn Around (IIm7b5 - V7b9 - I):

3rd: 3 b7  b9

7rd: b7 b9 3 b6

Diminished Chord (with min 3rd, flat 5th and maj 7th)

Ex. G°, Gdim

In the diminished harmony, everything repeats every minor 3rd(4 half-tones), so we have three diminished scales. The particular structure of these scales (tone-halftone) allows us to built a voicing on each cordal note of the chord, everyone having the same intervals frame : 1 - b3 - b5 - maj7

Ex. G dim –> cordal note are G Bb Db E: we can build a voicings on each of these notes using the diminished chord itself (ex. A, which on my opinion sounds a little bit mad) or substitute the 6 with the maj7, gettin’ a better ‘jazzin sound’ (ex. B). Just play the example and try first to get familiar with the voicing and then to transpose the example in other keys using the numbers system shown: as explained, you can apply diminished harmony to dominant chords getting interesting lines! In the given example, try to play those voicings adding a C on the bass, and you’ll start to have an idea of how it works!

1st position:   1  b3  b5   maj7

b3rd position: b3  b5  6   9

b5th posistio: b5  6  1   11

6th positiion:    6  1  b3  #5

Half - Diminished (with min 3rd, flat 5th and min 7th)

Ex. D-7b5

This chord comes from armonic minor harmony and in a minor turnaround it preceeds the dominant 7b9 chord explained above, and to improvise on it we can use the armonic minor scale starting 1 tone below the root of the half-diminished chord (Ex. D-7b5 —> C armonic minor). As well as diominished voicings we have a position that can be built on every cordal note:

1st: 1    4  b5    b7

3rd: b3   b5  b7    1

5th: b5   b7   1     4

7th: b7    1   b3   b5

As we will see, in the minor turn around all these position can be combined with the Dominant 7b9 chord.

Once at this point, all the positions seen above can can be expecially applied to a Turn Around progression II - V - I …

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

Nell’armonia jazz tradizionale e’ ormai uno standard dall’avvento del BeBop considerare lo sviluppo degli accordi in posizione base (per terze sovrapposte) su 4 suoni.

ACCORDI DI SETTIMA

Un accordo di settima si ottiene aggiungendo ad una triade maggiore o minore un intervallo minore di settima (10 semitoni).

Per indicare un accordo di settima si aggiunge l’apice 7 o semplicemente un 7.

Ad esempio:

* Un accordo maggiore di MI e’ composto da E-G#-B.
* Un intervallo minore di settima a partire dalla fondamentale MI ci porta sul RE.
* L’accordo maggiore di MI settima sara’ composto da E-G#-B-D, e si indichera’ con E7 o E7.

Lo schema simbolico di un accordo maggiore settima e’ 1-3-5-m7.

Un altro esempio:

* Un accordo minore di SI e’ composto da B-D-F#.
* Un intervallo minore di settima a partire dalla fondamentale SI ci porta sul LA.
* L’accordo minore di SI settima sara’ composto da B-D-F#-A, e si indichera’ con Bm7 o Bm7.

Lo schema simbolico di un accordo minore settima e’ 1-m3-5-m7.

Un accordo di settima maggiore si ottiene aggiungendo ad una triade maggiore o minore un intervallo maggiore di settima (11 semitoni).

Ad esempio un accordo maggiore di LA contiene A-C#-E; se al LA aggiungiamo un intervallo maggiore di settima otteniamo un G#. Cio’ che si ottiene e’ A-C#-E-G# e si indica con Amaj7.

La successione degli accordi sulle scale diviene:

Playing 2 notes the one which is obtained he is bicordo cioe’ turning out of the concomitanza of two sounds.

Adding a further note, supposing as an example, to play three sounds D-F#-A simultaneously (with D the lower) what it is obtained is a chord: three (or more) sounds played at  the same time.

Modalities  which such sounds come chosen are defined by  harmony, which characterizes the rules to use in the construction/combination of the sounds (chords).

The lowest sound in a chord is said Root (fundamental).

In the previous  example (D - F# - A triad), D is the root. Now, given the half-tone the minimum distance between 2 sounds (ex: C - C#), adding to the D (root) an interval of major third (4 half-tones) we get the 2nd sound, F#. Still adding from the D (root)  a perfect interval of fifth (7 half-tones) we have the 3rd sound, A.

The RE-FA#-LA triad (or chord)  thus is formed from two intervals: a major third and a  perfect fifth, and it can be considered as further shown, as the basic structure of  major chords.

In general a chord is formed from a series of intervals beginning from the root. Chosen the root sound, others can be added, away frm it a specific interval according to the reference scale.

So, a thus constructed chord comes defined TRIADE (3 notes) , and allows us to build the basic structure of every kind of chord, according with follows:

Major Chord Triad (M)

Root - Major 3rd (4 semitones from the Root) - Fifth (7 semitones from the Root  Ex. C - E- G)

Minor Chord Triad (m)

Root - minor 3rd (3 semitones from the Root) - Fifth (7 semitones from Root Ex. ES. C - Eb - G)

Diminished Chord Triad (d)

Root - minor 3rd (3 semitones from the Root) - Fifth Diminished (6 semitones from Root Ex. C - Eb - Gb)

Augmented Chord Triad (M+)

Root - Major 3rd (4 semitones from the Tonic) - Fifth Augmented (8 semitones from TonicES. C - E - G#)

Adopting from now on:

1 - The roman numeration for the degrees of the referred scale and

2 - The jazz notation,

the interesting thing once at this point is that, starting from the Root (now 1° degree), ascending along the Major scale, the progression of triads built on each note is always the same:

I - Major (M)

II - minor (m)

III - minor (m)

IV - Major (M)

V - Major (M)

VI - minor (m)

VII - diminished (d)

The most important Triads are those built 1°, 4° and 5°, on which the V-I cadenza refers, sequence that incluced the concept of Tension-release widely used in jazz harmony, through the frequent use of the TurnAround, a fundamental chords progressions in the harmony jazz, that lead back to the Root Triad (chord):

Ex.     I    VI      II      V –>  I° M  -  VI° m  -   II° m  -   V° M

using Triads    –> C Major   A minor     D minor    G major –>   C (M)

The following table reassumes Triads for the Major scale (in the key of A):

What seen for the Major scale Triad is therefore applicable also for the Minor scales.

Therefore if proceeding ascending along the degrees of a Major scale we have the sequence M - m - m - M - M - m - m - d above seen, we obtain Triads for minor scales , proceeding as well:

Once get used on a keyboard with these concepts, we can expand our analisys and consider 4 notes Chords.