Adding right-hand chords
With
Tim RichardsTim Richards shows you how to build fuller right-hand voicings on 'All of Me', working through four-note chords and their inversions.
What's in the course
29 lessons (1h 19m) · 1 free
01. Playing the roots
2:34
02. Two-feel bass line
2:26
03. Two-feel bass line (performance)
1:12
04. Guide tones
3:00
05. Two-feel bass with guide tones (performance)
1:06
06. Adding right-hand chords
You are here2:37
07. Two-feel bass with chords (performance)
1:08
08. Walking bass lines
5:31
09. Walking bass line (performance)
2:12
10. Chordal rhythms
5:05
11. Rootless voicings
5:15
12. Walking bass line with rootless chords (performance)
1:10
Lesson transcript
Lesson on Guide Tones and Chord Voicings
You may have noticed, when I was playing the guide tones over "All of Me" just now, that when I went back to the A section to repeat it, I played the same voicings but changed the rhythm slightly.
Importance of Fresh Rhythms
It's important to keep things fresh, to try out different rhythms, and not just to read the rhythms that are on the page.
Playing Fuller Chords
Now, let's talk about playing fuller chords in the right hand.
Chords in "All of Me"
There are actually about 10 different chords, and here they are in root position:
- C6
- E7
- A minor
- D7
- D minor 7
- G7
- (and others...)
Nobody would ever play the chords in the right hand like that in root position, but it's still possible to use those shapes as long as you're prepared to play some inversions.
Practicing Inversions
One of the things you could do is practice the inversions of all those chords, all 10 of them.
- Go to the inversions routine for instance, C6.
- If you're not used to doing that kind of routine with four-note chords, check out all the exercises in Beginning Jazz Piano Part 1. There are loads of those for most different chord types.
Assuming that you're fairly familiar with second inversions, you can bring them into play.
For instance, in the E7, the B section of the tune (bars 9 to 16), you could play it like this:
- E7 (Second Inversion)
- A minor (Second Inversion)
- D7 (Root Position)
- D minor 7 (Root Position)
- G7 (Second Inversion)
See how there's a natural smooth voice leading there? I'm not doing any jumping now.
Voice Leading Example
Similarly, for the first 1 to 6 bars, as well as the last 4 bars, we can do the D minor 7, G7, C major (the 2-5-1) like this:
- Starting with second inversion and then keeping the same top note, you can go to E7 and A7.
All three have E on top. That's always a nice effect, playing three different chords that have the same top note.
Conclusion
So we'll now review all those in the context of "All of Me" with the two-feel bass again.
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Meet your guru
Meet your guru
Critically acclaimed jazz pianist and composer Tim Richards is one of Britain’s most experienced jazz educators, teaching piano privately for over 30 years, as well as at Morley College, Goldsmiths College, the University of Surrey, Premises Studios and other venues in the UK and abroad. He has produced numerous titles for Schott Music, including the best-selling two-volume Exploring Jazz Piano, Blues, Boogie & Gospel Collection and the acclaimed Improvising Blues Piano. He is also co-author, with John Crawford, of Exploring Latin Piano and Brazilian Piano Collection.
More recently Schott have published Jazz, Latin & Modern Collection (15 pieces for solo piano), comprising Tim Richards originals alongside pieces by Duke Ellington and Thelonious Monk, and the two volume set Beginning Jazz Piano (now a two-part MusicGurus course).
“The real joy of Tim’s music… is that it is both hugely educational but also such great fun to play. Anyone with the slightest interest in learning to play or teach jazz piano should really acquire a set of Tim’s books.” PianoDao
As a performer Tim has been a presence on the UK jazz scene since the 1980s, also playing the blues with UK and US legends such as Otis Grand, Earl Green, Dana Gillespie, Larry Garner, Joe Louis Walker and Mojo Buford. He has released over a dozen albums as a leader (featuring many of London’s best jazz musicians including Pete King, Gilad Atzmon, Tony Kofi, Jason Yarde, Seb Rochford, Ed Jones, Dick Pearce and many others), and toured all over Europe with line-ups ranging from duo to nine-piece. His latest recording, the album ‘Telegraph Hill’ by the six-piece Hextet, was described in The Observer as "A true joy from beginning to end".
More info can be found on his website www.timrichards.ndo.co.uk
