Chord Voicings Lesson

Right, now we move on to chord voicings. As we've been going through the Mixolydian arpeggio and the C dominant 7 scale, let's explore a few shapes.

Chord Voicings

First Voicing

• We have the first chord voicing we've already played.
• There are a couple of different shapes:
  • One using the left hand.
  • One using both hands in a more spread open voicing.

I'll play them for you now.

Second Voicing: Minor 6

Now, the second set of voicings we have is the minor six. This provides the counter opposite to the dominant 7.

• The minor 6 is a beautiful, interesting sound.
• It appears frequently in minor tonality music and has a haunting, rich quality.
• The six adds a lush and dark sound.

This voicing is very useful in jazz music.

I'm going to play these three voicings once again: in the right hand, the left hand, and then together.

Summary

So there we go, guys! Here's a little breakdown of grade two scales, arpeggios, and voicings.

• I hope you learned something there!
• There are quite a lot of new concepts happening here:
  • Playing hands together.
  • Dominant seventh shapes.
  • Minor six voicings.

Make sure you remember the distinctions between harmonic minors, melodic minors, and natural minors.

These are all very interesting and beautiful chord and scale shapes in their own way.

Good luck and hope it all goes well!