Music Lesson: Two-Handed and Rootless Voicings

In this lesson, let's review two topics that we've talked about:
Two-handed voicings and rootless voicings.

Two-Handed Root 735 Voicings

In Open Up, we first used this style of two-handed root 735. You may remember that if you wanted to do that in Funky 2.5, you could play the same voicing for G minor. The voicing for the C9 or C7 doesn't have to change in the right hand.

• This is the sort of comping you might do while playing behind somebody else's solo.
• You could also add a third note on top with your little finger.

Remember, the right hand doesn't change. You automatically get the ninth on the dominant chord, C9, with the D on top. That was the fifth of the G minor, becoming the ninth.

We used those comping patterns in Ornithology. You may remember starting on:

• G
• G minor
• C9
• F major
• F6
• F minor
• B flat 9

Extend those to the whole piece. Try that with the backing track. In particular, do the same thing for Autumn Leaves. You could do the call and response thing on the backing track.

Practicing with the Backing Track

I play the left hand like this:

• You may remember four-note closed position.
• Now try opening those voicings out.
• You can do the same rhythm with the call and response.

I'll try it with a metronome:
1, 2, 1, 2, 3, 4, 1, 2.

That's the same timing as the call and response with the melody.

Applying Voicings to Two Tracks

Now we're going to focus on two tracks we've already played and apply these voicings. The first one is 251 arpeggio workout.

• We use that to practice arpeggios and scale patterns with shells in the left hand.

• Now, let's practice two-handed comping:

  • E minor 7
  • A9
  • D major 7 or D6

Repeat that, then go to the next key: C minor. Each one should be played twice as on the backing track, giving you a chance to assimilate and internalize those voicings.

Practicing Rootless Voicings

It's really worth practicing your rootless voicings. For instance, perhaps three notes: E minor like this.

• Move the seventh down to become a 7 and D major in the same position as the first one.
• This is 735 becoming 37973 5.
• Then you'll go to D minor.

I'm playing the roots in the left hand so you hear the full effect. However, you might very well be playing those shapes in the left hand, while the bass player or backing track will be playing the roots of the chords.

2-5 Cycle with Dorian Scales

We were playing rootless chords in the left hand or three-note voicings with scales in the right hand. Now, use the track to practice your two-handed comping.

• This time it's 2-5; it doesn't ever go to 1.
• Start with F sharp minor, do that for eight bars, then down to E minor.
• Same again, then D minor.

Experiment with different rhythms:

• B flat minor
• A flat minor

Notice how the right hand doesn't change, and you'll finish back up where you started, but an octave lower. These voicings start to sound really good around this middle register.

Final Thoughts on Rootless Voicings

Don't forget rootless voicings!

Using the same track for the 2-5 cycle with Dorian scales, rather than doing it as in the chart, let's use the opposite voicing.

• This time, go for 7-3-5.

That's a really easy shape to find. It's the easiest rootless voicing to locate. If you start with the F sharp minor triad: root, three, five, just move the root down to the seventh (which is a tone down in this case).

So we put E on the bottom instead of F sharp, giving us a really useful F sharp minor voicing. From there, just move the bottom note, and that becomes B9.

Once you start with the 7-3-5, it's very easy to find the dominant chord.

You could use those in the left hand as an alternative to the ones we've used before or as an alternative to shells. You've now got three different ways of playing the left-hand chords around all those workouts.