Open Voicings and Chord Extensions

Open voicings involve a simple yet effective technique. Here's how it works:

1. Take a close position chord.
2. Move the first note above the root up to the top.

As a result, you create an interval larger than an octave, in fact, it's a tenth. This produces a nice, sonorous sound, with the tenth enclosing both the fifth and the seventh.

Chord Extensions

I've written it out for you in two keys. When chords have numbers in them, they indicate extensions. While these extensions are not always stylistically appropriate, they offer significant opportunities for enhancing the harmonic context of any melody.

Consider this: Melody notes may not always coincide with the notes in the chord. Thus, you are inherently hearing extensions.

Harmonizing Melody Notes

• Extensions can provide a means to harmonize melody notes that are present.
• They can also make harmonies more interesting and supportive.

Whether you're playing in a band situation, arranging for a horn section, or creating your own keyboard parts, understanding this concept is crucial. Your part should stand out as something distinct, adding a different voice that doesn't just duplicate the melody or the underlying harmony.

Musical Context

All styles of music effectively utilize this technique. For example, think of artists like Hendrix, James Brown, or Earth, Wind and Fire, each excels in this area. Any music with a strong blues foundation will inherently use a lot of chord extensions.

Thus, chord extensions are not merely an esoteric corner of the harmonic world reserved for jazz musicians; they are an everyday element of a musician's vocabulary.